


What Am I to You?

by BeatleChick



Series: What Am I To You [1]
Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Love, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:39:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 68,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeatleChick/pseuds/BeatleChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A friendship that has lasted years has the possibility of shattering after one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Andy had been friends with Tom since their university days. They were never very close but they would see each other about once a year. When he started to get more and more opportunities the time in between visits became longer. Andy was happy with her own, slower paced, life and career. She had worked hard to become an editor at one of the top publishing houses in London and managed to just make the rent for her tiny apartment. 

Since her promotion about a year ago her last relationship had fizzled out and she had been so focused with work that she hadn’t really pursued the idea of meeting anyone. When Tom came back into town for a play on the west side she was so happy for him. She met up with his sister Emma for lunch and heard all the latest news about his career and what was up next for him. 

“It’s been ongoing for about a week now, but I’m going on Thursday to see it.” Emma looked up and appeared to be considering something. “Come with me!”

“No, Emma, he’ll want to see you.”

“Don’t be silly, he would love to see you! Come on. We can all go out for a bite afterwards.” She gave her best puppy dog eyes, “Say you’ll go!”

“You Hiddlestons are the absolute worst.” Andy grumbled while rolling her eyes. “Fine, fine.”

“Excellent, let me make a call.” Emma dug out her mobile and put a call into someone at the box office. The next thing Andy knew, there would be two tickets waiting for them at the door. “Right, so curtain at 9 so I’ll meet you at half eight?”

“I’ll be there.” They hugged goodbye and went on their way.

Thursday came around and Andy pulled everything out of her closet to find something nice to wear. Finally she decided on simple black dress. You can never go wrong with a little black dress she figured. So she slipped on her heels, pulled on her winter coat and headed over to the theater.

The show was phenomenal, Tom was so gifted. It had been so long since she had seen him perform like this and she was left a little light headed to see how powerful he appeared on the stage. She started to remember how much of a crush she had on him when they were both younger, but he had never given her a second thought. 

After the show the three of them went out for some food and a few drinks. 

“Tom! You were wonderful!” Andy told him as he scooped her up into a hug.

“Oh Andy, thank you darling. I’m so glad you could come.” He grabbed Emma up next and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go I’m starving.”

They walked a few blocks until they found a pub that wasn’t too crowded. After gathering up a few pints and chips they were huddled at the corner table. 

“Andy what have you been up to? How’s work?” Tom asked when he returned with another round.

“It’s great actually. Really busy right now, but I’m happy.” Andy said.

“Andy always sends me a book list at the end of the month. I love it.” Emma told Tom.

“Why don’t I get one?” Tom pouted at her.

“You’ve never asked. I usually just tell Emma what I’ve seen come through or what I’ve heard about.”

“Well I want one.” He said as he slammed his fist on the table with a laugh.

“Will he even like the type of books I send you?” Andy asked Emma with a skeptical look.

“He might. Though he can be a bit pretentious.” Emma said thoughtfully.

“He’s also sitting right here.” Tom said with a huff.

“Well, send me your email and I’ll send it you both.” Andy said with a laugh. 

\---

The night went on and on with the three of them laughing endlessly. It had been so long since they had spent time like this. As it neared 3 in the morning Emma started checking her watch. 

“Alright you lot I’ve got to go.” she gathered up her things and started putting on her coat. Tom walked over to hold her coat for her and she turned to kiss him good bye. “I’ll see you later Andy!” She called out and waved as she left.

When Tom joined Andy at the table he sat next to her. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked her, and took a drink of his beer.

“Talk about what?

“You want me.” Tom said simply.

“Excuse me?”

“Come home with me and I will fuck you senseless.” 

“Jesus Christ Tom what the hell has gotten into you?” Andy tried to push him out of the booth but he wouldn’t move. “Tom, I’m leaving.”

Instead of getting up, he turned to her and brushed his hand up into her hair. “Andrea. I want you so much. I can have you writhing under me in a matter of minutes. I will make you come undone at least four times tonight. Will you come home with me tonight?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Andy!” She was shaking. “Andy!” It hurt now… “Andrea! Wake up!” She turned over in her sleep. “God dammit, Andrea wake up!” It wasn’t a dream, someone was shaking her awake. Andy rubbed her eyes roughly and raised up to lean on her elbows. 

“Tom?” She asked groggily. He was fully dressed in new clothes with wet hair. “What is it?”

“You have to leave.” He gathered her clothes from where he had thrown them the night before and placed them on her lap. “Get dressed.”

“What’s happened?” She tucked the sheet around her chest so she could sit up without showing her naked body.

“Nothing, you just...you need to leave now. I’m sorry.” He gathered her purse and put it on the end of the bed; then he walked out of the room and shut the door.

Andy sat up. She felt like such a fool. They had both had so much to drink last night, of course he was regretting it now. But they had known each other so long, why was he treating her like this? She quickly put her dress and shoes on and ran her fingers through her hair. Fuck this, get out as quick as you can at this point. She made sure she had the essentials - phone, wallet and keys. Get the fuck out. So she made her way down the corridor and to the front door. When she turned the handle she heard him call after her but she left with no resistance. 

She went downstairs and grabbed a cab. Tom never tried to stop her, she tried to convince herself that he would chase after her, but when he didn’t she fell even more.

When Andy reached her flat she locked the door and laid on the sofa. She thought about how long she had known Tom and how he and she had grown to know each other. She had crushed on him for a long time but had grown out of it when he didn’t return her attention. They had a one night stand, why on earth had he treated her this way. Was he ashamed? She wasn’t the glamorous woman that he had been seen with recently, maybe he was ashamed. 

So she wallowed in his indifference and her embarrassment.

That week she woke up. Went to work. Came home. All the while she waited for some sort of contact from the man she thought was her friend. After three weeks went by she stopped hoping for him to get a hold of her. 

\---

“Tracy, I’m so sorry but I’ve caught something. I can’t come in today.” Andy said into her mobile. “Seriously, I can’t stop being sick. I’ve made an appointment for this afternoon. Thanks Trace.”

Andy made the call from her toilet. She was kneeling on her tile, like she had been all weekend. Her stomach refused to settle. Finally she felt like she had an empty stomach and an exhausted mind. 

As she climbed into her bed she thought back on the last few weeks. When she started counting she sat straight up. Andy pulled on some clothes and ran to the nearest chemist. 

Thirty minutes later she was in a complete panic. 

Leaving her doctor she was in a shock. She was six weeks pregnant. Her fun and carefree night with Tom would live with her for the rest of her life. What the fuck was she to do?

Tom hadn’t contacted her; and she had stopped sending him casual calls and messages. He obviously wanted nothing to do with her. So she was completely on her own. As much as she agreed with a woman’s choice for abortion, could she do that to her own baby?

‘Damn’ She thought, she was calling it her own baby, there was no way should be able to part with this piece of herself. It was completely the wrong time but she would figure something out.

The next big question would be telling Tom. He hadn’t answered her messages so he must not want to stay in contact. It didn’t matter. She would keep the baby, her baby.

\---

The next week she applied for a transfer to one of their European branches. When they had accepted her application she was shocked and overjoyed. The only draw back was that she would need to make a move within the week. With only a studio apartment of belongings; Andy was more than ready for the change in living arrangements. 

She packed up her bedroom, her miniscule kitchen, the only issue was her library. Boxes upon boxes were piling up with her books. Andy decided she would pay for all of her books to move, if anything else left was too costly then she could buy more when she was settled. 

She didn’t have close friends in town so her goodbyes were vague and short. Emma had tried to get a hold of her but she let the calls go to voicemail. This was all her own fault, not Emma’s, but she was Tom’s sister and Andy couldn’t bring herself to talk to her. 

She was just shy of her second trimester so traveling wouldn’t be an issue. Plus the constant nausea and fatigue was starting to disappear. It would be strange for her to have a baby born in Spain, but she welcomed the adventure of it all. 

\---

Madrid was one of the fastest cities Andy had ever been in. Everyone moved about so quickly from one destination to the next, the only exception was afternoons when everyone seemed to disappear. Her flat wasn’t in the best barrio but it had a separate bedroom from the living area and there was even an elevator in the building. Her office was near enough that she could walk and she was only a few blocks from the closest underground entrance. 

Fresh produce was easy to find and the health care was fantastic. She would walk the streets to shop on her off days. Some days she would have lunch in the Retiro Park, while other times she would hunt for treasures at the Rastro flea market. She was starting to collect little things for the baby: colorful blankets and beautiful wooden toys. At her flat she already had a small bed and the necessary furniture she would need to care for her little trouble maker. Andy was only 3 months pregnant, and not even really showing yet, but she couldn’t help herself. 

Work seemed to be the same as it was in London. She was a bit more in demand as an editor because English was her primary language so she was able to pick up small idioms that sometimes confused the her co-editors. Andy became content with this new life of hers, a job she loved, a new and exciting city, and a new family that she could hold in a few short months.


	3. Chapter 3

Tom was absolutely miserable.

His work was going as great as ever, but his heart wasn’t in it. Acting was second nature to him, he worked so hard at it that now that he needed it for his real life it was an easy step to fall into. 

After two months he called his sister.

“Emma? Can you meet me soon?” He asked in a bit of a panic.

“Sure, I’m free tomorrow is that alright?”

“Is there anyway I can see you tonight? I’ll pick you up.”

“I’m out of town Tommy, what’s going on?” 

“I just,” Tom took a deep breath to calm himself, “Tomorrow is completely alright. Want to grab some lunch?”

“Sure, 1?”

“Wonderful. I’ll text you the address in the morning, yes?” Tom waited to hear her agree and then said goodbye.

He hadn’t seen Andy in months and he was worried about her. Sure, they never were very close but since the night they had spent together he felt more towards her. She had been trying to get a hold of him for a while but he never answered her. He felt like such a cad. He had made her leave that morning because he had been seeing someone else. 

Tom had never felt regret as strong as when he saw Andy run out of his door that morning. He wasn’t in a strong relationship, and it had ended that night, but he didn’t want to risk the two women seeing each other. So to avoid the situation that would make him look like a complete cock, he had kicked Andy out to try and preserve some of his reputation.

He hadn’t answered her calls or texts. He didn’t know what to say to this woman, he liked her but after everything was it even worth the trouble?

If she wasn’t worth anything why did he feel the way he did? Andy had always been in the back of his mind for the last few years. He hadn’t realized how much he felt about her until he realized he was jealous of her and Emma’s friendship. He felt like a prick because he had acted like one. 

When he tried to call her and email her both lines of communication were terminated. He deserved it.

When he met up with Emma the next day he could hardly make the necessary small talk.

“What happened to Andy?” He tried to ask casually.

“She left. She moved to some other town to a different branch for her firm.” Emma said with a shrug and kept eating her salad.

“She tell you why?”

“No, something must have happened though because she didn’t really want to talk to me at all. Did you notice anything that night we were together?”

“No, but I haven’t really seen her in a while.” Tom said and took a drink of his beer.

“True, I think it must have been a medical issue.”

“Oh?”

“Well before she left she had been telling me that she had been nauseous for a while and then suddenly she was gone.” Emma took a drink of her cider and set it down with wide eyes. “Maybe she’s pregnant! That’s why she left so quickly, she must have gone to be with the father!”

“Not a chance.” Tom said with a dismiss.

“No it totally makes sense. She would never leave like she did without a good reason.”

“Can you get in contact with her?”

“Why?” Emma asked with her eyebrow raised at him.

“I just, I need to get a hold of her.” Tom said quietly without meeting Emma’s eye.

“Tom, what did you do?”

“I just, I need to talk to her.”

“What did you do?”

“I can’t tell you Emma. Can you do this for met?” Tom dropped his fork and looked his sister square in the eye.

“No.”

“No?”

“No Tommy.” Emma said as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. “The best I could do is contact her office and see where she’s moved, that’s something you can do if you want to.”

“Right.” Tom moved the food around on his plate and finally looked up at his closest sister. “Emma, I didn’t act like I should have. I want to let her know that that’s not me.”

“Alright.”  
\----

Andy was four months pregnant and showing right out in front. The sickness had gone away and now she felt like a complete woman. She had no interest in any other men, it seemed because of this they were fascinated with her. It felt nice for men to go out of there way and hold doors for her or give up their seat. She was walking home from work one day when she ran into the last person she expected to see.

“Michael!” She gasped up at him.

“Oh Andy!” Michael pulled her into a tight hug.

“God I haven’t seen you in a million years.” She held her arm up to rest her palm on his cheek. “How have you been?”

“Good, good.” He looked down at her and rested his hand on the top of her stomach. “”Not as good as you it seems. How far along are you?”

“A little over four months, you're lucky.” When Michael tweaked a brow at her she laughed, “I might not have been pregnant, just fat.”

“Darling, it’s obvious.” Michael took her hand from his face and kissed her knuckles. “Can we grab some dinner? How long you here for?”

“I’m living here actually. I transferred to this branch.” Andy shifted uneasily but looked back up with a big smile. “I’m starving. Let’s eat.”  
\---  
“So who's the lucky man?” Michael asked Andy when they were seated at the café.

“No one special.” She tried to ignore his look and went back to her menu. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore. “It was a one night stand Michael. So now it’s mine.”

“That doesn’t sound like you.”

“How do you know?”

“Andy.” He said with a frown.

“Alright, it happened and now it is. I’m happy where I am and I’m excited for my new addition. There really isn’t much more to tell.”

“Does the father know-”

“Michael. I love you dearly but please don’t do this.” Andy cut him off.

“You’re right.” He ducked his head and looked back up at her. “Forgive me?”

“Of course.” She smiled at him. “Unfortunately now you have to buy me dinner.”

“Deal.” Michael grinned at her from across the table.

Once the food was brought to their table they were deep in conversation. It was as though no time had passed and they were able to pick right back up where they had left off. Michael was telling Andy about comic-con.

“It has to be the absolute craziest things I have ever been to. It’s utter chaos there, we didn’t even really have a chance to look around. They had these handlers that shuffled us from one area to the next.” Michael said and took a big drink of his beer. “I love the beer here.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” Andy was picking through her chips for the best piece. “Movie?”

“A small one this time. The script seems fun though, I’ll be here about four months.” 

“That’s a long time in one place, especially for you.”

“It is, but I’ve got flat here and I love this city.”

“Isn’t it great?” Andy agreed with a big smile. “I am so happy here.”

The rest of the lunch went on with easy conversation. When they were ready to leave Michael hopped up to hold Andy’s chair for her and held her hand as she stood.   
“So, where are you off to?” Michael asked as he held her coat for her to put on.

“Home for me.” She fumbled with the buttons as she laughed at him.

“Where do you live?” 

“Close to the Plaza Del Sol. You?”

“Near the finance district.” 

“Fancy!” She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. 

“Why don’t you come over? We could watch a film or something at mine. It wouldn’t have subtitles…” He let the end of his bribe dangle.

“That would be lovely. But not too late I have work in the morning.”

“I’ll have you home at a reasonable hour.” He raised his hand over his heart. “You have my word.”

When she laughed and nodded yes he stepped to the curb to hail a cab. “In you get.” Michael told her as he opened the car door.


	4. Chapter 4

Tom hadn’t followed through with the advice Emma had given him. He wasn’t able to pluck up the courage to track Andy down. He was busy with work and he tried to ignore the guilt that had been plaguing him. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed someone to get him straightened out. That’s how he found himself knocking on this door at ten at night on a random Thursday.

When the door opened he gave a small smile to his friend.

“Tom? What are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Ben stepped back to let the other man in. He watched Tom start pacing in his main room. “What’s wrong?”

“Ben, I need some help. I’ve done something.”

“Are you alright?” He closed the door and walked to his chair to take a seat.

“Do you remember my friend Andy? Andrea, from school?” Tom stopped pacing to see if Ben knew who he meant.

“Oh, right. I think I’ve met her once or so, good friends with Emma?” He scratched the side of his face. “She worked in books or something along those lines?”

“That’s her. She’s an editor.”

“What about her?”

“She and I...well...I sort of…” He stopped pacing to try and put the words together. “I slept with her.”

Ben raised a brow at him but didn’t say anything. When Tom didn’t continue he nodded his head at him. “And…”

“It was the after one of shows, and she and Emma came to see and get drinks. It was a great night and Emma had to leave early. I came onto her, rather aggressively.” He started pacing and pulling his hands through his hair.

“Aggressively? I doubt you took advantage of the girl.”

“That’s not what I mean. I was on such a high, the show had been fantastic and she’s so beautiful. So I brought her home.”

“Tom, I don’t understand what the problem is.”

“I was seeing someone else. It had only been going on for about two weeks but I didn’t want either woman to know what had happened.” Tom stopped moving to sit down heavily on the couch.

“When I woke up the next morning I figured I needed Andy to leave in case Jenny stopped by.”

“I take it you didn’t ask nicely?”

“I practically threw her out.” Tom groaned and buried his face in his hands.

After a few minutes of silence Ben stood and went into the kitchen. When he came back out he had two beers. He handed one to Tom and then went back to his seat.

“What do you need my help for?” Ben asked after he took a drink.

“It’s been months since that night. She’s moved away and switched numbers.” Tom rubbed a big hand over his face. “I need to get in contact with her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to leave things the way they were. She did not deserve that from me and I want to apologize.” He took a long drink. “She called and texted a few times in the beginning.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I ignored them, I was too humiliated by my actions.”

“Jesus, Tom. What the hell got into you?” Ben said with a shake of his head.

“I don’t know. But I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Is that why you want to contact her?”

“No...I don’t know. All I know is that if she didn’t mean anything to me than I would have been able to move past this by now.”

“Alright. What can I do?”

“Honestly, I think I just needed to tell someone what happened.”

“Where do you think she is? Does she have family?” Ben leaned back in his chair as he thought over options.

“No. She was raised by her Dad but he died when she was at Uni.”

“Jesus.”

“She’s insanely strong.” He let out a little chuckle. “If Emma finds out what I did to her she will murder me.” He thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I have no idea. Emma said she had transferred to a different branch at her company. I’ll talk to them and see if they can give me any information.”

Tom and Ben talked a while longer until Tom had the nerve to face this head on. When he said goodnight, he had a plan in mind to get the girl.

\---

Andy was bouncing her leg frantically as she sat in an uncomfortable waiting room chair. She was chewing on her lip as she looked around the room. Another moment later her bouncing knee was covered by a large hand that made her leg stay still. She looked up at the man sitting next to her.

“Relax, sweetheart.” Michael’s deep voice sounded even and calm. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re here.” She told him with an eye roll.

“I want to be here, never been to one of these. Isn’t that exciting?” 

“Thrilling.” She replied in a dry tone. 

“Do you want me to go?” He asked in a low voice.

“I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be here, I’m alright.”

“I want-” Before he could finish his sentence a nurse was calling Andy’s name.

Michael jumped to his feet so he could pull Andy up. They walked across the room to where the woman was waiting. She led them to a small examination room and handed a gown to Andy. The woman was saying several things in rapid Spanish and Andy answered with short answers with as much Spanish as she was able. When she left them alone Michael turned to her with a concerned look.

“How do you know what the doctor says? Maybe you shouldn’t be having the baby here, I didn’t understand one word of that.”

“My doctor speaks English. Now turn around.” When he just looked at her with his eyebrow raised she held up the hospital gown. “I have to change.” 

He gave her a wolfish grin that made her blush to the roots of her hair, but he dutifully turned around.

After a few minutes Andy walked to the exam table and sat on the edge.

“Alright you can turn around.”

“Are you going to find out if it’s a girl or a boy?” Michael asked as he dragged the chair next to the table.

“They should be able to determine the sex by now. I’m almost 20 weeks.” Andy said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Yes, but do you want to know, or are you going to wait?”

“I want to know. This baby was surprise enough.” Andy rubbed the left side of her belly without thinking about it.

“Darling, won't you tell me what happened?”

“I told you. One night stand, nothing more than that.” 

Before Michael could press any further there was a knock on the door and a young man walked in.

“Miss McKenzie, so nice to see you again. How are you feeling?” He leaned against the counter while he looked over her chart.

“I’m good. No more nausea and the aching has started to almost disappear.”

“Wait,” Michael interrupted while looking from the man to Andy. “This is your doctor?” 

“Hello sir, I’m Doctor Cervantes.” He held his hand out to Michael.

“You seem a bit young to be in this business.” Michael said as he shook the doctor’s hand.

“I assure you I am completely capable.”

“Michael. This is my decision. Sit down, or you can wait outside if that would be easier for you.” Andy told him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Michael sat down quietly.

“Well Miss McKenzie, I’m going to do a small check up and then we’ll do the ultrasound. I will have a technician perform the procedure but I can stay to explain the information if you would like?”

“Oh that would be wonderful. I know enough Spanish to get a long but it would be nice to hear the correct details.”

Doctor Cervantes looked at Michael. “Are you the father?”

“No, a friend.”

“Well then will you wait outside so I can perform the examination? You may come back in when we are ready to do the ultrasound.”

“Right. Of course.” Michael jumped to his feet and went out of the door as fast as he could.

“He’s a good friend, just an unexpected addition to this appointment.” Andy explained.

“He seems like a good man. Very protective of you, something I always like to see for my patients.” He finished washing his hands and pulled on a pair of gloves. “Alright my dear. Lie down and put your feet up please.”

A few minutes later Michael saw a nurse wheeling a machine towards him. She smiled at him and knocked on the door. When she received the word to enter she rolled the machine in the room. A few moments later the doctor poked his head out.

“Would you like to see?”

Michael didn’t answer, only hurried into the room to stand next to Andy. She was laying on the table with her gown up over belly. To respect her privacy the doctor had draped a cloth over her lower half. Michael stood at her shoulder and held her hand.

“Everything alright?”

“Perfect.” She whispered back to him. 

The technician squirted out a thick gel onto Andy’s stomach and then pushed a wand shaped object into the puddle. After moving the instrument around she paused. She moved a knob on the screen in front of her and a fast paced pounding noise filled the room.

“There’s the heart beat. Very strong and healthy.” The doctor told them when he confirmed with the woman.

Michael clutched Andy’s hand harder and the sound. It was so real. The woman moved the wand a bit and stopped again. She faced the screen so they could see it as well. She pointed to a hazy dot and started saying something.

“There’s the head…that’s the torso and the arms. That line there is the umbilical cord.” The doctor translated while looking at the screen as well. The nurse said something to the doctor and he nodded and turned to Andy. “Would you like to know the sex?”

“Yes.” She breathed out.

The nurse said something and Andy started crying.

“What? What is it?” Michael said impatiently.

“It’s a girl.” The doctor told him.

“A girl.” Michael breathed out. Without thinking about it he leaned down and kissed Andy’s forehead. “A little baby girl, well done my darling.”

The next few minutes were relatively quiet. Andy and Michael watched as the technician moved the wand around and took measurements on the screen. Eventually she asked the doctor something and he turned to the couple.

“You would like some photographs?”

“As many as we can get.” Michael said without waiting for Andy’s answer.

The woman positioned the wand and then gave a strong press into the side of Andy’s stomach. This push mad the little bean move to her back and she was able to get a few more pictures. As she finished up the doctor got ready to leave the room.

“If you have any sharp pains or shortness of breath contact my office immediately. Other than that, I will see you in a few weeks. Take care of yourself Miss McKenzie.”

“Thank you Doctor.”

After a few minutes the room was empty except for Andy and Michael. He reached for the tissues so she could wipe the gel off her stomach. Andy seemed frozen. She laid her head back and tears crept from the corners of her closed eyes.

“Oh Andy, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Michael grabbed her hand.

“It’s so real now. I have a baby girl depending on me.” She covered her eyes with her hand. Suddenly she moved her hand. “What if I’m not enough? She only has one parent, I lost mine but I was grown. Oh God, I can’t do this.” 

Michael panicked at seeing this crying woman before him. How could he possible reassure her?

“Andrea.” Michael said firmly and held her hand tightly in his. “You are a wonderful woman, so full of love. As long as you give this baby girl all the love in your heart, you will make a beautiful little addition to this world. She would be wonderful.” He kissed her knuckles. “A little girl Andy. I don’t know anything about baby girls. Will we dress her all in pink?”

Andy laughed and wiped at her eyes. “If it was a boy would you know what to do?”

“Absolutely not.”

Andy laughed again and pulled herself together. “Right then. Pull me up.” She held her hand up for Michael to pull her into a sitting position. He helped her stand up and then turned his back to her so she could change. “A girl.” He heard her murmur to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Tom called Andy’s company and they told him that she had requested a transfer and that she was now living in Madrid. When he asked for her new contact information the woman sweetly declined him by stating that they weren’t able to give out any company information unless the person gave their consent.

“How can I get her consent if I can’t get a hold of her in the first place?” Tom said through gritted teeth.

“I apologize again sir. It’s policy.” She paused for a moment and then spoke again. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, thank you.” He ended the call with a slam of his thumb across the screen.

What the fuck did he do now? What the fuck is Andy doing in Madrid? It was now about five months since he had last seen her. Tom paced back and forth and stopped at the door to his kitchen, he punched the door frame in his frustration. He could go to their offices in Madrid. Then they might show him to her office, or at least let him get a message to her.

He thought over his schedule over the next few weeks. He was booked solid for at least the next three weeks. Tom walked over to pour himself a glass of whiskey. So for another three weeks he would have to live with this sickening guilt.

\---

It was a Friday morning and Andy couldn’t seem to make herself get out of bed. She called for the day off and then pulled the covers over her head. She knew to expect all different kinds of emotions while she was pregnant but some were harder to handle than others. Today she felt so alone and she missed Tom. It would be so much easier if she didn’t think about him all the time, but her heart still ached for who she thought he was. 

If he had been the man she wanted he would be here with her. He would be the one holding her hand at every doctor’s appointments. She wouldn’t fend for herself when she had a craving or was so sick that she couldn’t think about food. He would be so excited that the two of them were having a little girl, he probably would’ve bought a stuffed animal or toy for their new baby. 

As it was she had Michael. He had wanted to spend time with her because they were the only person the other new in this city. When they had left the doctor’s office with the news of the baby girl, Michael had insisted they stop at a baby boutique and he picked out a ridiculously frilly pink dress for an infant. 

The two of them had been having such a great time together. They had lunch and dinner together constantly, a lot of times just going for a walk around the town. Most nights Andy wanted to stay in early so she pushed Michael out of the house to go and drink and smoke at the bars down the road. 

Around lunch time Andy’s phone woke her up. When she pulled the device under the blanket she saw that Michael had sent a text to ask her to lunch. She replied back that she wasn’t feeling great today and if they could reschedule. A minute later her phone rang.

“Hello?” She croaked out, her voice ragged from not using it for hours.

“Andy? Is everything alright?” Michael sounded concerned.

“I’m fine Michael, just not feeling like myself today.”

“Can I come over?”

“I’m not really great company, I’ll see you tomorrow maybe?”

“Andy, sweetheart let me come over. Have you eaten?”

“No, but I’m not hungry. Don’t worry Michael.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Before she could argue he had disconnected the call. Andy buried her face back in her pillow. She really needed to get up and make herself look presentable but she couldn’t get up the energy.

After what seemed like only a minute, there was a knock on her door. Andy groaned and sat up. She slowly climbed out of bed and pulled her robe tightly around her. She trudged to the door and opened it to let Michael in.

He came bursting through with several bags in his hands. He put the bags on her counter and turned to look at Andy.

“Come here.” He held his arms out to her. When she stepped into his arms she couldn’t stop the tears that started dripping down her cheeks. When Michael felt her shoulders start shaking he held onto her tighter. After a minute he lead her to the sofa and they sat next to each other, close enough that he could still hold her.

Michael rocked her back and forth while rubbing his hand up and down her back. He had no idea what had caused this but the least he could do would be to here for her. After a while Andy stopped shaking and tried to take deep breaths.

“Here now.” Michael said softly as she pulled back, he brushed the hair back from her face. “What’s all this then?”

“Stupid pregnancy hormones.” She said.

“That’s not all there is to it, love.”

“It’s hard sometimes to be doing this alone.” Andy said and her eyes dropped down to her hands in her lap.

“Talk to me.” When Andy couldn’t seem to find the words he stood up. “I have a better idea.” And he disappeared into her bedroom. 

A minute later he came back to pull Andy to her feet. He led her into the bathroom where he had the tub filling with hot water. He nudged her into the room and walked back out.

“Get in, I’ll be back in a bit.”

When Andy was laying in the warm water, Michael tapped on the door.

“Are you decent?” 

“Um, yes.” Andy tried to move to cover herself more as he walked back into the small room.

“Andy. You’re killing me.” He looked up at the ceiling as he walked to the tub. He pulled the curtain closed until it blocked up to her shoulders. “There.”

Andy just laughed at his pretend embarrassment. He had brought in a tray of bread, cheese and some oranges. He settled himself on the floor so he could lean against the wall, as he put the tray on the closed lid of the toilet.

“Alright young lady. What is going on with you.” 

“Michael, it’s really nothing.”

“Andy. Please.” 

She closed her eyes and rested her head against the tub. She wiped under her eyes as tears threatened to escape again.

“I slept with a friend of mine. It was a mistake, and he asked me to leave right after. I tried to contact him but he didn’t take my calls.” Tears of humiliation rolled down her cheeks at this admission. “I was an idiot.”

“Andy baby, it’s not your fault. He sounds like an ass, he was a friend of yours?”

“Since university, him and his sister.” She clenched her eyes shut when she realized she had probably said too much.

“Andy.” Michael paused as the pieces clicked together. “It was Tom?”

“Michael, please don’t say anything.” Andy said a bit franticly.

“I won’t if you don’t want me to. Tom did this to you?”

“No, he just-”

“Tom slept with you and then kicked you out? He has no idea that you’re pregnant?”

“I tried to contact him but he ignored my calls.”

“That bastard.” Michael’s fist were clenched. “I’ll kill that man. Who the fuck does he think he is?”

Andy didn’t know what to say so she stayed quiet. Her appetite was gone. Michael was fuming silently next to her; he opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. This happened a few times before he turned to look at her again.

“Andy it’s going to be ok. You don’t need a man like that anyways. You have friends, you have me.”

“You don’t need to be dragged into all of this.” 

“I’m not, I’m going to be this baby’s favorite Uncle Michael. All future boyfriends will be measured against me, that is if we decide to let her date at all.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“This will be marvelous. I can have a girl who thinks I am the most perfect man, she won’t know any different.”

Andy was laughing hysterically now.

“Can you imagine? This perfect tiny human doesn’t know that you or me aren’t the best people out there?”

“Michael, honestly, get your ego in check.” 

“Oh Andy, you’re going to be the most wonderful Mum.”

Andy just giggled while she blushed.

“Right then, out you get. I’m starving.” Michael hopped to his feet and gathered up the tray to take into the kitchen.

\---

Another week went by and Andy was feeling generally calm about the situation. She tried to stay as relaxed as possible and prepared for the future. She took walks around the neighborhood and snacked on fruit like it was going out of style. 

One Sunday afternoon Michael had a rare afternoon off so the two of them found themselves in one of the parks for lunch. Michael was sitting on the bench with his ear buds in while he watched the people around him. Andy was laying across the bench with her head pillowed on his leg, her legs were dangling off the arm of the bench. She was engrossed in her latest book obsession.

Her little trouble maker could not seem to find a comfortable position as she tossed and somersaulted inside her. Finally Andy pushed a firm hand on the bottom of her belly to try and calm her little one. When Michael saw the movement out of the corner of his eye he moved to place his hand on top of her stomach. He felt the baby kick him in answer to his touch and he chuckled lightly.

They spent the next hour or so in this position until the air started to become uncomfortably cooler. So they packed up and headed out. When they reached Andy’s door Michael gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed off into the night for his usual antics. 

\---

“Tom.”

“Emma, what’s going on?”

“Tom, what happened between you and Andy?”

Tom looked down at the device and then put the mobile back up to his ear. “Emma I can’t say.”

“Christ, Tom. Well have you been able to contact her at least?”

“I have to go to find her at the actual office.” He ran his hand through his hair. “She’s working in Madrid.”

“I know.”

“So I’ve got to...hold on. How do you know?”

“I’ve seen some pictures of her.”

“How?”

“Someone saw her with Michael Fassbender. There are photos.”

Tom raced to find his laptop so he could see the photos for himself. He cursed as he waited for the internet to slowly come to life. When he found the pictures Emma mentioned he studied them carefully. It wasn’t much to be excited about, just the two of them sitting on a bench. The photographer only had photos from the back of them, they seemed to be talking and laughing together.

“She looks good.” Emma said after a few minutes.

“She does.” Tom said without thinking. Andy looked beautiful, a bit thinner than the last time he had seen her, but breathtaking.

“Are you going to still go?” 

“Yes.”

“When do you leave?”

“Shooting is over on Wednesday, I’ll fly out that night.”

“Be careful Tom, I don’t know what happened but if she’s happy there then you should respect that.”

“I will. Thanks Em.”


	6. Chapter 6

On Friday Andy was headed out to go home as usual. She had a bag of work to go over since she wouldn’t be back in until Tuesday, her doctor’s appointment was scheduled for Monday and she was always so exhausted after. She wrapped her coat tighter around her as she left the elevator and suddenly someone was calling out her name. She froze but didn’t turn around, she knew that voice. She couldn’t face him, not now, not like this. Before she could truly start to panic a hand clasped her upper arm.

“Andy.” Tom breathed out as he came to stand in front of her. She didn’t say anything in return, only looked up at him in disbelief. She pulled back to stand a few steps further away from him and Tom’s stomach clenched in guilt. 

“Andy.” He said again when the silence went on a bit longer. “How...how have you been?”

“Fine Tom.” She rubbed her free hand through her hair. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you actually. You disappeared without a trace, no one seemed to know where you were.” He tried to sound lighthearted. 

“Well, I’m here. Work transfer, new city, new experiences. You know.” She looked around for an easy escape route.

“Listen, do you think maybe we could meet for a drink or something?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve got to get home.” She tried to turn and walk away but Tom grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Andy please. I want to explain some things to you.” 

“What’s done is done. Please let me go.” She looked at the hand on her arm and he immediately let go. As she started to walk away her bag slid off her shoulder. “Fuck.” She mumbled under her breath. There was no way she would be able to pick it up without looking like a circus act. 

Tom rushed over to pick up the bag for her. As he stooped down he saw her rest her hand briefly on the side of her stomach. He stood up slowly and looked very carefully at the body that was hidden under her bulky coat. His mouth dropped open.

“You’re pregnant.” He stated in disbelief.

“Yes.” She held her hand out for the bag Tom had forgotten about.

“How...how far along…”

“Almost six months.” She watched as he did the calculations in his head.

“But that’s impossible.” Tom said as his eyes were unable to move from Andy’s stomach. “Six months ago was when…” 

“It’s fine Tom. You made your position clear, I have been taking care of myself and I don’t expect anything.” She took the bag from the frozen man across from her. She turned and walked out of the building. She tried to walk quickly home, but slowed a bit to calm her racing heart. A minute later she heard steps pounding on the sidewalk behind her.

“Andy wait!” Tom called out as he caught up to her. “Andy we need to talk about-”

“I tried to talk to you months ago, you weren’t interested.” She kept walking. 

“Andy, darling please wait.”

“Don’t ‘darling’ me. You don’t get to waltz back in like nothings happened.” 

“Andy if that’s my baby then I get to have a say-”

“Fuck off.”

“Andy!” Tom grabbed her arm again but she shook him off her.

“Tom.” Andy stopped and closed her eyes in thought. She was furious, hurt, and surprised to see him after all this time. She knew that she should at least speak with him but she couldn’t do that tonight. So she opened her purse and dug out her notebook and a pen. After scribbling a few things she tore the paper out and pushed it towards him.

Tom looked down and read what she had given him. “Is this-”

“That’s my address. Come by tomorrow around 1 and we can discuss this.” Andy put her things away and started walking again.

“But I wanted to see you tonight?” Tom called out.

“Tomorrow.” She threw over her shoulder at the man who still stood where she had left him.

\---

At half after twelve Tom was standing in front of Andy’s door. He knocked and then went back to fiddling with the package in his hand. When the door opened he gave Andy a brief smile.

“Sorry. I couldn’t wait any longer. May I come in?” Andy opened the door a little more so he could walk past her. When he reached the middle of the room he turned and handed her the bouquet of daisies. “These are for you. To apologize for ambushing you yesterday.”

“Thank you.” She said as she took them. She busied herself in the kitchen arranging them in a vase and then she walked back out to the living room. 

Tom couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was dressed in leggings and a loose button down shirt that was pulled tight across her middle. 

“You look wonderful.” Tom breathed out before he could stop himself.

Andy didn’t say anything, only blushed. She walked to the sofa and sat down gently, she gestured to the chair across from her. Tom nodded once and sat in the chair.

“What do you want to talk about?” Andy said after a minute.

“So you’re six months?”

“27 weeks.”

“Do you know what the sex is?”

“I’m having a baby girl.”

“A girl.” Tom murmured as his lips quirked up in a small smile. “When are you due?”

“September 20th.”

“Have you been...is everything alright?”

“I had a difficult first trimester but the baby is perfectly healthy.”

“And you?”

“I’m fine.” Andy said dismissively.

Tom let out a breath and buried his face in his hands. He looked back up at her with a frustrated look on his face.

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

“I have been talking to you.” And said with a shrug.

“Andy, knock it off.” Tom burst out. He surged to his feet and started pacing. “Be honest with me.”

“Because you were so honest with me?” Andy jutted her chin out defiantly.

“I didn’t mean for that night to-” He was cut off by a knock at the door. He turned and looked at Andy with a raised eyebrow. “Are you expecting company?”

“No.” Andy raised up from the couch with a little bit of effort. Tom moved to help but she waved him away. She walked to the door and pulled it open as Michael burst in.

“Andy sweetheart, sorry I didn’t call first but I figured you had the day off. So I’ve got tickets to one of those bizarre and fantastic plays. It doesn’t start until ten so we have some time to-” He stopped talking when he saw the man in her living room. Michael’s jaw hardened and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Hiddleston.”

Tom stood to his full height with his legs far apart. “Fassbender.”

Andy closed the door and walked back into the room. “Michael, Tom came by to talk.”

“Did he now?” He raised an eyebrow at the man in question. 

“Andy, can we speak in private?” Tom asked without taking his eyes off Michael.

Michael turned to Andy and looked at her in concern. When she didn’t say anything he took her hand and pulled her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“Are you alright?” He asked her quietly, placing his hand over her stomach protectively.

“He showed up yesterday at my office. I have no idea how he found me.” Andy said with a groan.

Michael pulled her into his arms. “He’s this baby’s father, he deserves to be there for you.” He felt her nod into his shoulder. “Can I do anything?”

“I’ll be alright.” She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. “But I need to go back out there.”

“I’ll come by tonight, you still want to go to the play?” 

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I’ll come by just the same.” He kissed her on the forehead and opened the door. “Keep it civil.” Michael growled at Tom with a finger jabbed in his direction, and then he left through the front door.

Andy took a breath and then walked back out to take her place on the sofa. Tom watched her sit down and then slowly sat in his own chair.

“Do you want to tell me what that was about?” Tom said in a low voice.

“Why don’t you explain your actions six months ago?”

Tom hung his head to avoid her eyes. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was sort of seeing someone at the time.” 

Andy sucked in a breath at this confession. 

“I didn’t want…” Tom rubbed his face with his hand. “I hadn’t been seeing her long, it wasn’t serious. But I knew that I shouldn’t have overlapped things the way I did.”

“Overlapped things...you mean me.” Andy said with no emotion.

“I panicked. Things between me and the...the other woman.” Tom took a deep breath. “They ended that night anyways.”

“So I was your affair.”

“No, it...it wasn’t like that. I just didn’t handle things the way...the way I should have.”

The silence in the room was unnerving. Andy hunched over her stomach and held her breath. She wrapped her arms over the bottom and front of her bump as though to comfort her little trouble maker. Her baby girl appeared to have slept through the entire confrontation. She rocked the two of them back and forth in slow and comforting motion. After a minute she looked up at Tom with no emotion in her eyes.

“You ended it that night?”

“Yes.” Tom said fervently.

“Then why didn’t you take any of my calls or messages?”

Tom let his head fall back into his hands. “I was embarrassed.” He mumbled.

“Embarrassed?” He didn’t respond to her question, only nodded in agreement. “You woke me up, threw my clothes at me and told me to leave. You want to talk about embarrassment? About humiliation?”

Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally Andy straightened up and looked him in the face.

“Why are you here?”

Tom sat up straight in his chair.

“To apologize for the way I treated you that night and that day. You mean so much to me, and I wanted to fix things.”

Andy stiffened in response to his confession. “I am almost 28 weeks pregnant and you are the father. A paternity test can be performed but it can pose the risk of miscarriage. I am not asking for any money or support, so I would ask that you wait for the child to be born before we perform a test.”

Tom was stunned into silence. It hadn’t occurred to him to doubt her.

“Of course I would never think to danger the baby-”

“So I will continue to live here. I have work for the next two weeks and then I am off for maternity leave. You need to decide what you want to do now.” 

“I don’t...I haven’t really thought...what should I do?” He asked her in a hopeless voice.

“It’s your decision.” Andy pulled herself up and went to her purse. She took out her business card and wrote her home address on the back of it. She walked back to Tom and handed it to him. “This is my office, cell and home address. When you decide what you want to do you can contact me.” She walked back to the door and held it open for him.

“Andy I think there are some things we need to talk about.”

“You have a lot of information you need to consider. Wait a week and then call me.” Andy continued to hold the door open.

Tom stood up slowly and walked towards her. When he came close to her he reached his hand up to her face, in response she took a step back. He dropped his hand and his head. “Right then, I will call you.”


	7. Chapter 7

When Michael came back he swept her off for some dinner. They stopped at one of their favorite restaurants near her place and once they were seated he looked closely at Andy’s face.

“How did it go?”

“Alright I guess.” Andy said while she looked at the menu.

“Come on you,” Michael took the menu from her. “You always choose the same thing, pork cutlets, now talk to me.”

Andy looked down at her hands on the table and then raised her chin to look him straight in the eyes. 

“He was seeing someone else when we got together.” 

“Fuck.” Michael said under his breath. Before he could respond the waiter came by, once they had ordered and the waiter walked away, he looked back at Andy.

“He said it wasn’t serious and that it was over that night.” She said without emotion. Michael reached for her hand across the table but she pulled away. “He doesn’t know what he wants to do about the baby so I told him she’s due in September. I told him to get in contact with me in a week so he can decide some things.”

Michael was fuming. How could he just walk in and upset everything that had taken Andy months to put into order. Tom was not the man he thought he was. How dare he, or anyone for that matter, consider treating Andy like this.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked her quietly.

“I want to get drunk over it.” Andy said raising her head, she had tears shining in her eyes. “But...since I don’t have the luxury, I want cake.” 

“Excellent choice.” He waved the waiter over and asked for two slices of the fudge chocolate cake, to be brought over right away, before dinner. When the cake was brought over he slid one of the slices in front of Andy. “Chocolate is good for babies.” He winked at her.

“You have absolutely no idea if that’s true or not.” Andy said with a laugh but started eating the desert.

When the food was brought to the table Andy had finished her cake. She started to pick at her rice when Michael picked up her empty plate and put the other slice of cake down in front of her.

“Michael that’s-”

“Yours. It’s an old family recipe, a cure all. Mixing dessert and dinner will cure what ails ya’” He said with a heavy Irish accent.

“Well if it’s a family recipe then who am I to argue.”

So Michael spent the evening telling dirty jokes to make Andy blush. When they finished eating they did go to see the play. A retelling of a Matador who met a witch and he became convinced that he had become a bull himself. It was not meant to be funny but Michael and Andy couldn’t keep from giggling. Once they started they couldn’t seem to stop. Michael brought Andy back to her flat late at night and walked her to her door.

“Andrea.” Michael said seriously. “You were so brave today. You made the hard choice and the right decision. Tom might do what is right now that he knows about you and the baby, I want to believe that he will. But no matter what you will always have me.” Andy was looking down while she listened. He chucked her chin lightly. “Good times and bad.”

“Thank you Michael, for everything.” Andy lifted up so she could wrap her arms around him for a hug. “Call me later, yeah?” 

“Have a good night sweets.” Michael gave her a peck on the cheek, then waited while she went inside and locked the door.

\---

Tom spent the evening pacing in his hotel room. He knew that he wanted to be there for every minute of the baby’s life, this was just so unexpected. If Andy lived in Madrid how would he see the baby? His relationship with her seemed to be beyond repair at this point. Not only had he ignored her, he had put her in this life altering situation. 

He punched the top of the dresser in frustration. He opened the bottle of Jameson that he had bought earlier and poured himself a healthy drink. After a swallow he took up pacing again. And what the fuck is she doing with Fassbender? Were they dating? He didn’t think that he was the type of man to maintain a relationship, especially one with a pregnant woman. 

His mobile ringing pulled him out of his stupor. He raced over to see if it was Andy and then he rolled his eyes at himself, she didn’t have his number. Looking at the caller ID, his shoulders slumped but he answered with a monotone, “Hello?”

“Did it go that badly?” Ben asked.

“You have no fucking idea Ben.” Tom sat down heavily in the closest chair. “She’s pregnant.”

“Well at least you apologized right? She’s moved on, that’s how it goes.”

“No. She’s pregnant with my child.” There was silence on the other end of the line. After another minute of silence Tom cleared his throat. “Ben?”

“Fuck.” Ben finally said. “So that makes her…”

“Six months pregnant.”

“Uh...congratulations?” Ben said sounding unsure.

“She was planning on raising her alone. She had no idea that I would come find her.”

“Her?”

“It’s a girl.” Tom said and couldn’t hold back the smile when he said it.

“What do you want to do?”

“Of course I want to be there for my child. Now I just need to figure out the logistics. Will she move back you think? Of should I move here?”

“How do you feel about Andy?”

“She’s so beautiful. She’s so confident in herself and this baby, it’s intoxicating.” Tom rubbed his hand roughly over his face. “But she can’t stand me. We used to have these great long talks about films, plays and books; but now she can barely force herself to say two sentences to me.”

“If she wasn’t pregnant would you want her?”

“The thing is-”

“Yes or no Tom.”

“Yes.” 

“Then there’s your answer. Win her back.”

“How can I now, after everything I did?”

“Because you have to. That woman is carrying your baby. Take care of her, be there for her. She’s probably scared and now she’s probably panicking about you trying to take away the baby.”

“I would never dream-”

“She only remembers ‘asshole Tom’, step up and show her who you can be.”

Tom walked to the bed and threw himself down on it. “Michael Fassbender is here.”

“He’s a good guy, great time that one.”

“It looks as though he’s become rather close with Andy.”

“Oh? I didn’t know they knew each other. Well, it’s good then that she had friend to visit.” When Tom didn’t say anything in reply he asked him, “Are they together?”

“I don’t know. He seemed really familiar with her and when he saw me there he was furious. He took Andy to her room so the two of them could talk.”

“Well if that’s her choice then it’s up to her. You also don’t know all the facts yet.”

“I know. I know.” Tom groaned. “She told me to contact her in a week, but I don’t want to wait that long.”

“How long are you in town for?”

“I have to go to LA in two weeks, but I won’t be there for more than a few days. But then I have to head to Ireland for a bit of a stretch.”

“Do you want me to come out?”

“No, no I can handle this. I’ll call her in the morning and see if we can meet up sooner.”

“Right, well if you need anything give me a ring.”

“I will. Thanks mate.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Andy? It’s Tom.” Andy looked down at her mobile with a sigh.

“Yes Tom?”

“I was wondering if I can maybe take you to lunch today?”

“Tom I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Wait, hear me out. I spent all night thinking over everything and I wanted to go over it with you. I will wait if you want, but I would like to be available for your pregnancy as much as possible.” When she didn’t say anything he pushed forward. “Please Andy, give me another chance.”

“Alright.” She breathed out.

“Right. Excellent. What time would you like to go?”

“Around 3 is fine.”

“Perfect. I’ll come pick you up, is that alright?”

“That’s fine.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

At half after two her buzzer sounded. She shook her head as she headed for the door. She pulled it open to see Tom standing there with a bouquet of some sort of small white flower. 

“I couldn’t wait.” He said sheepishly as he handed her the flowers.

“You already brought me flowers yesterday.” She said with a small smile, but took them to the kitchen to try and find something to put them in.

“I could never bring you too many flowers.” He followed her to stand by the counter. After a minute she walked to grab a light coat from by the door. Tom hurried to hold it for her to put on. “Shall we?” He asked as he held the door for her.

They walked for a while until Andy brought them to a small café with outdoor seating. Tom helped Andy to sit down; though in actuality he fretted as she lowered herself into the seat. Once they had ordered there was nothing else to do but talk.

“You look wonderful.” Tom said without preamble.

“I’m in fat pregnancy jeans and a T-shirt.”

“Well you look beautiful, pregnancy suits you.” Tom took a sip of water. “Do you enjoy it or is it difficult?”

“Yes and no, it’s always difficult to get somewhere. I can’t just up and go, I have to think about how long it will be to walk and how long I would need to stand. Nothing seems to fit anymore and my hips seem to be rebelling the additional weight.” Andy started picking at some of the olives in the center of the table. “But in this culture a pregnant woman is so respected it’s nice to get this kind of courtesy. And I can feel my little girl moving around which makes me so excited to meet her.”

“Is she moving now?” 

“No, she’s asleep. She’s probably exhausted from kicking me all night.” Andy said with an eye roll and a small smile.

“Oh.” He looked down, a bit disappointed. When he looked back up at her he had a serious look in his eye. “Andy I am so sorry. I can not believe I treated you the way I did. I was supposed to be your friend and in return I turned my back on you. I will always regret my behavior towards you.”

Andy didn’t say anything, just looked down at the table. The waiter brought out their food and they had something new to focus on. After picking at her fish she looked back up at Tom.

“What do you want to do about the baby?”

“I am her father. I want to be involved as much as possible.” Tom said passionately. “When is your next doctor’s appointment?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Can I...would it be alright if…” He couldn’t begin to think about how to ask this question. “Do you think I could go with you?”

Andy bit her lip as she thought it over. “Alright.”

Tom’s face lit up. “Thank you. I’m so excited, do you think they’ll do another ultrasound? I would love to see the baby.”

“This is just a check up but I can ask if they’re not too busy it shouldn’t be an issue.”

They finished lunch with some small talk about the play Tom had finished and the different projects he was considering. Andy told him about living in Madrid and how she liked it. Suddenly Andy froze and put her hand on her stomach as she closed her eyes. Tom jumped up in a panic.

“Are you alright? Shall I call an ambulance?” He pulled his mobile out of his pocket.

“Relax. She just woke up.” Andy opened her eyes and smiled at Tom. “Would you like to feel?”

Tom just nodded and moved to her side as he crouched down by her chair. Andy took his hand and pressed his long fingers on the spot that the baby had kicked a moment ago. Tom furrowed his brows in concentration as he kept his hand on the spot. Andy moved her hand to the side and gave a small push, the baby kicked out in response to the movement. 

Tom gasped and then a giant grin lit up his face. “Hello little girl. I’m your daddy, I can’t wait to meet you.” He was frozen as he left his hand on Andy’s belly, every now and then he would feel a small nudge against his palm.

“Aren’t your legs tired?” Andy asked as she looked down at him in his crouched position.

“I can’t believe this. I had no idea I would feel like this.” Tom said in amazement as he looked up at Andy. After a few more moments he rose up and returned to his seat. “Thank you.” 

“How long are you here for?”

“I don’t have to be anywhere for about two weeks.”

“Why did you come here anyways? Meeting?”

“I came to find you.” Tom ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I couldn’t live with myself with how I treated you. I’ve missed you so much, I miss spending time with you. So I called your office and they told me you had transferred to this branch but they wouldn’t give me your contact information. I realized that the only way I could truly find you would be to come here myself and plead my case.”

“Honestly?” Andy asked disbelievingly.

“Truly. Andy, I am not that man. I can be the man you need, you and our baby.” He reached for her hands across the table but she pulled away before he could touch her. His heart sank, but he left his arms on the table. “Have you had any strange cravings?”

“Pickled beans, they’re so sour they make my cheeks suck in but I can’t get enough of them. I eat ginger candies too, help to settle my stomach.”

They finished up lunch and Tom walked Andy back home. He had to keep a tight grip on his restraint. He couldn’t stand not being able to rest his hand on her lower back, or put his hand over her belly. When they arrived at her door they stood awkwardly to say their goodbyes.

Tom leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek but Andy took a step back in response. So he gave her a sad smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll bring a cab here for the ride, 9 in the morning yes?”

“That works. Thank you for lunch and I’ll see you in the morning.” She stepped in and closed the door behind her.

\---

The next morning the two of them were in the exam room waiting for the nurse to bring in the ultrasound equipment. Andy had introduced Tom to her doctor and the exam had gone smoothly. When she asked about the ultrasound she told the doctor they just wanted Tom to be able to see the baby, he didn’t need to stay. 

So now they waited. 

Andy had her shirt unbuttoned to bare her belly and Tom could not keep his eyes off her. He had no idea that seeing this woman pregnant with his child would make him feel so masculine. He tried to keep his chest from swelling with pride that this beautiful woman was the mother of his baby. Finally he couldn’t contain it anymore and he stretched his hand out to gently run his fingertips along the swell of her belly.

“Tom.” Andy protested gently.

“Andy you look fantastic, I can’t help it.” Tom placed his whole hand on her stomach, he stretched his fingers out so he could touch as much as possible. “Your belly is so firm.” He mused out loud.

“I have no idea what to say to that.”

Before Tom could say anything else a woman rolled the machine into the room. She said something in Spanish and Andy and Tom nodded to confirm that Tom was the father. 

Tom watched in silence as gel was put on Andy and then a tool rubbed against her skin. He looked at the screen frantically waiting for the picture to come into focus. All of a sudden there she was.

“Oh Andy.” He breathed out. “Look at her, my God, there’s her arm and her head.”

Andy looked at the man standing next to her and saw tears start to cloud his eyes. He grabbed onto her hand as though it was a lifeline. The rest of the visit went by fairly quietly as Tom's eyes were glued to the picture on the screen. As they headed to the street to find a cab Tom pulled her hand to rest on the crook of his elbow.

“Have dinner with me tonight?” He asked her suddenly.

“No thank you. I have some things I should take care of and Michael might come by to talk about the appointment.” 

“Michael?” Tom asked gruffly, then without a second thought he burst out, “Are you seeing him?”

“Excuse me?” Andy pulled her hand away from him. “That is absolutely none of your business.”

“It is my business who spends time with my baby and her mother.” Tom said sounding agitated.

“At least he’s been here for me. It’s not my fault that you’ve just now decided to show up.” Tom’s mouth opened and closed a few times and then he looked down at his feet. Andy couldn’t stand the tension any more so she let out a sigh and said, “He’s a friend, he’s been a good friend to me. That’s all.”

Andy pulled her sweater tighter around her and walked to the underground. A second later Tom fell into step beside her. 

“Please stop walking away from me.”

“Stop acting as though you have control over my life.” Andy replied quickly.

“Andy we need to be together on this, we have a child coming soon. We are going to be spending a lot of time together and I would rather us get along.”

“Tom you’ve only been here for a few days. You can’t just walk in and start trying to change things to better suit you. I’ve been doing very well on my own, you need to give it time.”

They walked to the platform and waited for the train. Tom shuffled his feet uncomfortably while he tried to think of the right thing to say.

“I’m sorry Andy.” He said quietly. “You’re right.”

“Thank you.” Andy replied. They rode the rest of the way to her flat in silence.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the week went by rather calmly. Andy’s routine was about the same, except that she occasionally saw Tom for dinner or at work for lunch. He seemed to be working very hard to rebuild their friendship. Some nights they would find themselves in Andy’s living room reading. Andy arranged herself so she could lay on her side on her big sofa, while Tom sat on the floor next to her big belly. He was reading C.S. Lewis out loud to the baby. 

On Saturday night they were in their usual positions and when Tom started speaking the baby kicked out. He saw the movement and looked up at Andy with a huge grin on his face.

“She can recognize me?” Tom asked in a bit of a wonder. He put his hand gently on that spot and was promptly kicked again.

“She does. She’s not used to the same voices, just mine and Michael’s really.” Andy mused at her book so she missed the way Tom’s jaw clenched at Michael’s name. “It’s good that you’re doing this, she’ll know you when she gets here.”

“Can I…” He asked as he tugged lightly on the bottom of Andy’s shirt. She didn’t answer, only pulled the shirt up so he could see her skin. He brushed his fingertips lightly over the skin and Andy’s neck and shoulders broke out in goose bumps that made her shiver. Tom noticed the movement, “Sorry.” He whispered with a smile. 

“Can you hear me little girl? I’m your daddy. We are going to have so much fun together, you, me and your mummy. She’s taking such good care of you, isn’t she.” He leaned down and kissed Andy’s stomach.

That made Andy too tense up. “Tom, please,” Andy said and she pulled her shirt back over her belly. She pulled herself into a sitting position and then stood up from the couch. She walked into the kitchen and tried to find something to busy herself. 

Tom walked in behind her. “Why do I make you uncomfortable?”

“I just don’t like when you’re so familiar with me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to make this more than it is.”

“Why can’t it be?” 

“Because you’re only here because I am pregnant with your child.” Andy said with a shrug.

“That’s not the only reason. I came to see you, I didn’t even know you were pregnant.” Tom came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “We never even gave us a chance.”

“There was never an ‘us’ Tom.” Andy said. 

Tom felt her shoulders start to shake. When he heard her sniff he realized she was crying. He tried to turn her around to look at him but she pulled away and went into her bedroom. Tom waited a minute and then quietly walked into her room. She was laying on her side, curled up as much as she could. She was crying and trying to take deep breaths. He set down gently on the edge of the bed so he could see her face.

“Darling, what is it?” He reached over and brushed the hair out of her face. 

“Please just leave me alone.” 

“Won’t you talk to me?” 

“Please Tom.”

He let out a sigh, “Alright.” He got up and carefully pulled the door closed behind him. When he reached the living room he sent out a quick text to Ben for a number. A few minutes later he was waiting for the call to pick up. 

“Hello?”

“Michael, it’s Tom, can you come over to Andy’s?”

“What’s happened? Is she alright?” Michael sounded worried.

“She’s fine. It’s just…” Tom looked up at the ceiling to find the right words. “She’s crying and she won’t talk to me.”

“Did you do something?” 

“No! At least I don’t think so.” He lowered his voice so Andy wouldn’t hear him.

“I’ll be there soon.” The call clicked off without another word. So Tom sat down to wait.

About a half hour later there was a knock on the door. Tom jumped up and let Michael in. Michael didn’t say anything to Tom, simply scanned the room and then went into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

\---

Michael saw Andy laying on her bed. She didn’t seem to be crying, just looking at the wall across from her. He kicked his shoes off and laid down on the bed next to her.

“What’s all this then?” He asked with a small smile. 

Andy gave him a smile in return. “How did you get in?” Her voice was raspy from crying.

“Tom.”

“He’s still here?”

“He’s very worried about you.”

“Michael, I can’t do this again. It’s not only my heart I am risking, I have my baby to think about.”

“Sweetheart, how do you feel about him?”

“I like him, so much. But I can’t have him disappear like he did before.” Andy held her stomach with a cringe as she tried to hold back more tears. “This isn’t about me, not anymore.”

“Darling, you have a few years before this little baby’s memory really sticks. She is always going to know Tom because he is her father, but you have a few years to decide about your relationship.”

Andy started crying into her pillow. Michael let her alone for a few minutes before rubbing her back. 

“Shhh….shhh...shhh…” He put his hand on her belly to feel if the baby was awake, it seemed that she was sleeping. 

Andy looked up at him with the a look of the utmost despair. “Michael, I can’t do this. I can’t believe that Tom wants me, he want’s one big happy family.” She took a great sobbing breath. “He want’s the mother of his child married to him so she can take care of their baby.”

Suddenly she jumped from the bed and ran to her bathroom. She started throwing up the entire contents of her stomach before Michael could reach her. 

“Darling, please calm down. You have to be careful now, darling.” He rubbed her back firmly. “I am so sorry but you have to think of your little baby, your little trouble maker.”

Andy eventually stopped retching and just sobbed into the toilet. She pulled herself up and wet a towel to wash her face. She walked to the mirror and washed off her make up. 

“Michael, I can’t deal with all of these feelings with Tom on top of trying to prepare to bring an entirely new human into the world.” She brushed her hair back with her fingers, and turned to look at the man in the doorway.

Michael was watching her warily, Andy had suddenly changed into a slightly emotionless version of herself.

“So this is what will happen. If Tom want’s to try and date then we will wait until after I have the baby. I can try and get a better handle on my emotions, and he will have had more than a few days to come to term with all of this.”

Andy looked at him with a questioning look, Michael relaxed and took her into his arms. “That’s a wonderful idea sweetheart. Don’t rush into anything.”

They stood in her bedroom for a while until Andy pulled in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She looked at her closed door and then back to Michael.

“I need to go talk to him don’t I?” She asked. He didn’t say anything, only nodded. “Alright.” Just before she turned the handle she turned back to Michael. “Will you stay? We could all have some dinner or something?”

“I’ve got a date at 10 actually.” He said checking his watch. “But I’m always ready for a beer, you have any?” When she shrugged, he smiled. “You go talk to him, and then come and get me.” He gave her a big grin and then flopped back onto her bed with his mobile.

\---

Tom stood up swiftly when he heard the bedroom door opening. When he saw it was Andy walking out he wanted to run to her but he held his ground. He stood and watched her as she approached, his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. When she sat down on the chair he slowly lowered himself back onto the sofa. 

“Are you alright?” He asked after he couldn’t wait any longer.

“I’m fine. Tom, listen I think we need to make some things clear.” Andy sat up as much as she could while Tom fidgeted. “Tom, I liked you a lot. But after everything that has happened between us I don’t know if that can be the same as it was. But I also know that you and I have a baby coming.” She paused and smiled at him while touching the top of her stomach. “And this baby growing inside me is playing all sorts of games with my hormones. I may be happy one day and devastated the next. I need to try and keep my emotions as level as I can.”

“What do you want me to do?” Tom asked quietly.

“Tom, I don’t think we can begin to think about being more that what we are now until after the baby is born.”

“Do you want me to wait?”

Andy shook her head at this question. “I want you to be sure of what you want.” She took a deep breath and finished her thought, “so I want you to treat me like a woman who is having your baby, but nothing more than that. Can you do that?”

Tom lowered his face into his hands and took a deep breath. He knew he should give her time but he was so afraid he might lose her to the man who was currently in her bedroom. How could he lose this woman, this child, this life after one bloody mistake.

“I will do whatever you want Andrea.” Tom told her seriously. 

Andy visibly relaxed as her shoulders rolled back to a more comfortable position. “Thank you Tom. I told Michael to stay for a beer or something, would you like to as well?”

“Sure.” Tom said while standing up. He shifted uncomfortably as he watched Andy walk to her closed door. He heard some mumbled conversation and then Michael strode out.

“Back in a tic darling.” Michael called out as he left through her front door.

“He went to go grab something to drink.” She shrugged at Tom. “I don’t really have a need to keep anything here.”

The rest of the night passed with awkward conversation between the three of them. Michael didn’t seem to be able to forgive Tom for disappearing, and Tom couldn’t let go of the jealousy he felt toward Michael’s relationship with Andy. Andy was exhausted from the fighting and crying from earlier so she simply wanted everyone to go away. After an hour Michael excused himself and shortly after that Tom left as well. 

When Andy shut and locked her door for the night she rested her forehead on the wood. What a night.

\---

The night before Tom had to leave he took Andy out for dinner. He had found an Irish pub that wasn’t too far from her flat and he dragged her there.

“Why this place?”

“It’s as close to British food as I could get. I know how you like your fish and chips.” He winked at her as he held the door for her to walk through. He led her to a small table off to the side and then went to the bar to order.

When he joined Andy she was watching the football match on the television. They watched in silence until their food was ready.

“Are you going to come back?” Andy asked quietly, poking at her food.

Tom’s head snapped up to look at her. “Of course I’m coming back.” He reached across the table and pulled her hand into his. “I’m going to be here every chance I get. I just found you, you can’t lose me that easy.” He gave the back of her hand a kiss before he let it go.

“Alright.” 

“Can I call you or skype with you while I’m gone?” It was Tom’s turn to avoid looking at her. “You could update me on your doctor appointments and things.”

“That’s fine. My last day of work is Friday and then I’m on maternity leave.”

“What are you going to do with all your free time?”

“I have no idea, finish building the baby’s furniture maybe?”

“Are you going to move back to London?” Tom asked the question that had been on his mind since before he came to find her.

“No.” 

Tom sighed and nodded his head. “I guess I’ll need to find a place here then. Elsa can probably help me get in tune with everything here.”

“You’d move here?” Andy asked in surprise. “Why? You love London.”

“I would need a place to be close to my baby.” Tom said casually with a shrug of his shoulders. “And her mother.”

“When do you come back?” 

“A little over a month or so.” He rubbed his hand roughly over his face. “Fuck, I feel like I’m missing most of the pregnancy.”

“Well I’ll still be pregnant when you get back.” Andy said with a laugh and she rubbed the side of her stomach. After a moment she reached over and grabbed Tom’s hand and placed it where hers had been. Tom’s eyes softened and a slow smile grew as he felt his baby girl moving around. Finally he got tired of stretching across the table so he moved the chair next to Andy. They finished eating with Tom’s hand on Andy’s belly the entire time.


	10. Chapter 10

When Michael saw Andy come out of her office building he jumped out of the car to take her bags from her. He put them in the trunk and then went to help Andy lower herself into the passenger seat. When she was settled he jogged around to the driver’s side and practically threw himself into the seat.

“What on Earth gave you this idea?”

“I have this weekend off, you don’t have work. It’s a brilliant idea!” Michael told her excitedly. 

They were off to San Sebastian for a long weekend. Michael had rented a house right next to the beach and had surprised Andy with it last night. He helped her pack a bag and took it home with him to stow in the car. 

“In America sometimes couples take a pre-baby honeymoon. A last trip without kids.” He told her as he drove them out of town.

“Baby honeymoon.” Andy murmured with a smile. “I like that.”

When they got to the house it was still fairly early in the evening. Andy followed Michael around the living room and the kitchen. Upstairs was a large master bedroom that overlooked the beach, and downstairs there was a slightly smaller bedroom with it’s own bathroom. They decided Andy would take the downstairs bedroom so she wouldn’t need to walk up and down the stairs too much.

They walked down the street and grabbed dinner. Michael had oysters while Andy chose the “cooked fish” option of baked white fish with lemon. While they were choosing desert Andy brought up her conversation with Tom.

“That’s really great darling. That’s very big of him to move to be near you and not pressing you to come back with him.”

“I know. That man is so committed when he sets his mind to something.” She rested her chin in her hand and looked at the other people in the restaurant with them.

“I believe he has set his mind on you.” Michael told her as a smile slowly grew into a grin. When she didn’t say anything but started blushing furiously he laughed loudly at her. 

\---

The next day Michael found a surfboard and ran to the waves with it. Andy joined him a while later with some towels, her book and some food for them to pick at. She laid down and watched Michael surf for a bit and then picked up her book.

An hour later Michael jogged through the sand and flopped onto his back next to her. He watched the waves before he looked at the woman next to him. Andy was wearing a bikini under a white cover up.

“You know women usually go topless on these beaches.” He pointed out.

Andy rolled her eyes at him from under her sunglasses. “I don’t think a topless pregnant woman is something I should show off to the public.” 

“I’m just trying to help you blend in.” Michael said with a shrug.

“You are very selfless when it comes to me and nudity.”

“It’s because I’m the perfect man.” He reached over to search through the food she had brought out. He picked up a roll of biscuits and cracked it open. He shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth and struggled to close his mouth around it.

“Charming.” 

After a while Andy looked over to see that Michael had fallen asleep. He had rolled over onto his stomach and was resting his head on his folded arms, his lower lip was pushed out and he looked like a little boy taking a nap. She laughed at him and pulled her phone out to snap a picture, then she went back to her book. 

A half hour later she gently shook him awake. “Michael, you’re going to fry. Sit up.”

He groaned and stretched out his arms. “Mmm...how long was I out?” He jumped to his feet and stretched his arms over his head.

“Not long. Come back down here.” She pointed the bottle of lotion at him. When he was crouched down in front of her she rubbed a generous amount of the sun protection on his back and across his broad shoulders. When she was done she gave him the bottle so he could do his arms and chest.

“Are you going to come in with me?” He asked as he jutted his chin in the direction of the waves.

“I can’t, I don’t want to fall.” 

“I won’t let you fall. Come on, it’s lovely.” He reached down to pull her to her feet. When she pulled her cover off he held out his arm and the two of the walked down to the water.

Andy let out a breath when the cold water hit her feet but after a second the cool temperature felt nice. They walked slowly further out until Andy was about waist deep. She giggled as the waves crashed against them, she occasionally would stumble a step back but Michael had a firm grip on her arm.

They played in the waves until Andy was starting to feel tired. They both walked to their belongs on the sand and packed everything up to head into the house. Michael grabbed his board and walked with Andy, when they reached their back door he found a good place to lean it up against the wood. 

“I think I’m going to shower and then take a nap.” Andy told him as she tried to stifle a huge yawn.

“Alright darling. I’m going to head into town for a bit.” He poked his head back out the door and then back into the house. “There’s a grill out there, I’ll bring something for us to make for dinner. How’s that sound.”

“Wonderful.” She wandered towards the back bedroom with a wave. “Call me if you forget anything.”

Michael laughed at her and bound up the stairs to grab a shower of his own.

By the time Michael got back to the house it had been dark for a while. There weren’t any lights on so he figured that Andy must still be asleep. He put the groceries down in the kitchen and then walked to her bedroom. He listened at the door for a few minutes but didn’t hear anything so he knocked softly. When he didn’t hear any response he quietly opened the door. Andy was still deeply asleep curled up on her side. She had moved all the pillows to wrap around her body.

He smiled at the picture and then went over to wake her up. “Andy sweetheart, wake up.”

Eventually Andy stirred awake and smiled up at him. When she noticed it was dark outside she let out a groan. “Oh my God, how long have I been asleep? What time is it?”

“Not long after 8. Hungry?”

“Starving.” She told him with a grin. She rolled out of the bed and followed him to the kitchen. He had found some steaks and a huge bag of vegetables so they got to work getting everything ready to take outside. Andy set the patio table and then sat down while Michael finished cooking the meat. 

“What’d you do in town?”

“Wandered around, met some really great people at this bar.” He told her all about his adventures and when the food was ready he joined her at the table to eat.

After dinner they sat outside and watched the waves crashing on the sand. After a minute Andy reached over and grabbed Michael’s hand.

“This is so perfect. Thank you Michael.” 

He squeezed her hand and then brought it up to his lips so he could leave a kiss on her knuckles. “Anything for you kid.”

\---

On Monday evening Andy received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Andy? It’s Tom.”

“Oh hi Tom. How’s America treating you?” She asked him with a bright tone of voice.

“Where are you?” He asked without preamble.

“In San Sebastian actually, the North of Spain. Michael surprised me by renting a house on the beach so we’ve been here for a few days.” She said smiling brightly, she was having too much fun to worry about Tom’s jealousy.

“There are pictures of the two of you. The press all want to know the name of the pregnant woman Michael Fassbender is holding.”

“Oh.” She gasped as she felt the blood drain from her face.

“The both of you in the water together, you putting lotion on him, walking in the sand and holding hands, typical couple things.”

Andy didn’t say anything, just sat down on the couch in shock.

“What do I do?” 

“Are you with him Andy? If that’s the case then his publicist will have to make some sort of statement, I wasn’t planning on releasing anything until it was absolutely necessary. But I will not have that man being named the father of my baby.” He told her vehemently. 

That shook Andy out of her stupor. “Have you completely lost your mind Tom? I told you we are not dating, we are just friends. He was making sure I didn’t fall in the water or on the sand. I’m sorry that me being on vacation is upsetting your social status.”

“I’m going to have Luke release a statement that you’re pregnant with my child.” 

“You’re not even here. They’ll harass me while you’re off gallivanting around the world.”

“Gallivanting? Really Andy?”

“Will you please wait until after you come back?”

“Fine.” He sighed loudly. “Can you refrain from being photographed half naked with another man?”

Andy didn’t know what to say to that as tears started trickling down her cheeks. She angrily wiped her eyes and then looked out the window at the water.

“I’ll see what I can do. Don’t call me again, I will email you any information I receive from my check-ups.” Andy told him in a monotone voice and then ended the call.

A minute later her mobile started ringing, it was Tom again so she let it go to voicemail. When the ringing continued to repeat she switched it to vibrate and left the device on the counter. She brought her laptop out of her room and sat on the couch while she waited for it to switch on. She typed in Michael’s name into the browser and looked at the pictures of the two of them on the beach. They were actually very sweet, she was grinning up at Michael as he led her into the waves. If there was anything to embarrass her it would have been the fact that she was a pregnant woman in a bikini, she looked huge.

A while later Michael burst in through the back door he was soaking wet and out of breath. When he saw Andy laying on her side on the couch he gave her a huge grin. 

“That was fucking fantastic. It was just me out there for a bit but then a few other guys came out, this one bloke could really surf. I felt like a jackass trying to keep up with him but they were a great bunch of guys.” He ruffled his hair with the towel in his hand and walked into the kitchen to see what he could eat. “Andy you’re mobile’s ringing, want me to answer it?”

“No!” She called out quickly but laid back down to avoid the curious look he gave her. He walked over and looked at her closely.

“What is it? Who’s calling you?”

“Tom.” She said with no emotion, “He saw pictures of you and I from this weekend.”

“Fuck.” He looked around the house. “I saw some people in the town but I didn’t notice anyone out here. Let me change and I’ll be back.” He rushed up the stairs to his room.

When he came back in he took Andy’s computer and looked at the pictures she had pulled up. He smiled when he looked at them.

“These aren’t bad, you look like you’re having a great time.”

“Tom doesn’t approve.” She said, she was still laying down.

“Well he can go fuck himself.” Michael practically growled out. “Why is he calling you so much?”

“He said some things, I told him not to call me anymore and then I hung up.”

“Ah.” Michael said with a nod. “Hungry? I’m going to die from starvation any minute now.”

“Not really.”

“Well come on, you can watch me while I eat then.” He hauled her up and the hustled them out the front door.


	11. Chapter 11

At the end of the week Andy found herself back at her little flat. She was setting up some new baby furniture when there was a knock. She opened the door to find a delivery man with a large bouquet of flowers. 

“Ms. McKenzie? These are for you. Will you sign here?” The delivery man asked with a bit of a temper.

“Right, sorry.” She signed his pad and took the flowers from him. She placed them on the counter in her kitchen and pulled the card out. 

“I can’t stop apologizing for my actions. Please know that I am so sorry, yet again.”

She yanked the card from the flowers, but before she could throw it away she froze. She was so exhausted with Tom acting the way he was. She sighed and placed the card next to the flowers and turned to go back to her furniture puzzle.

\---

After a few weeks Tom hadn’t heard anything from Andy, he also hadn’t seen any pictures of her and Michael. He had no idea what she looked like now, the baby bump had probably grown and he wouldn’t know. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.

If he hadn’t been such an ass he would be able to skype with her at the very least. But once again he let his jealousy take over the rational part of his brain. Seeing Michael with his hands on her while she was wearing practically nothing had made him see red. He wanted to be the one holding her while she played in the water.

He had sent flowers as an apology but when he didn’t hear anything he continued on his apology routine. He arranged for fresh fruit and vegetables to be delivered to her flat weekly. He found antique books that he knew she would like and had them shipped to her, he also found beautifully illustrated children’s books that he sent as well.

When he arrived back at his hotel after working for most of the day he saw that she had sent him an email. She explained that the appointment went fine and the doctor hadn’t found any problems with her or the baby. He wanted her to keep to a high iron diet but other than that she was on track. Andy had also attached a few ultrasound photos that had been taken. Tom marveled at the little baby on his screen but he wished he could see Andy herself.

He had fucked up, again. He had told his family that she was pregnant and they were thrilled. Emma wasn’t too happy with him at the moment, especially when she realized that he had ignored Andy and didn’t know about the pregnancy for the first six months. He had told Chris and Elsa as well and they were ecstatic over the news. 

“Now you finally get to know the true misery of not sleeping for the first few months.” Chris jokingly told him over the phone.

They set aside some time so that when Tom was back in Madrid they would be there as well. Elsa had been looking for places and sending Tom links to the various houses and flats she had found. A few of them looked really great, he was hoping that after some time he could convince Andy to move in with him.

And so the weeks trudged along. He was happy with his work but his whole mind wasn’t in it, he wanted to be back with Andy. When the day came that he would be flying back to Madrid he was counting the hours. He jiggled his leg nervously for most of the flight and tried to sleep but he couldn’t settle. He leapt into the cab and told the driver to take him straight to Andy’s address. As he watched the buildings go by he realized that he had been gone for over six weeks, Andy would be huge as she was over 8 months pregnant. His palms started sweating as he thought about her going into labor soon.

The car pulled to a stop and Tom yanked his bags from the trunk and then ran up the stairs to her flat. He knocked quickly and bounced on the balls of his feet while he waited for Andy to open the door. When the door was pulled open his smile disappeared.

“We were wondering when you would be here.” Michael told him with a frown.

“I would’ve called but Andy hasn’t been taking my calls.” Tom said as he tried to look around Michael into the flat. “Is she here?”

Michael didn’t say anything, just took a step back to let the other man walk in. Tom dropped his bags by the door and walked quickly to the woman laying on the sofa. Andy hadn’t said anything, just watched him approach her with wary eyes. When he reached her side he dropped to his knees.

“Andy I am so sorry. I was jealous and that makes me behave incredibly horrible. I know you would never lie to me, I am so sorry.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

“It’s alright.” Andy told him quietly.

“It’s not alright, but thank you for forgiving me.” He gave her a small smile. He looked around and noticed the little changing table that sat by a new rocking chair, the rest of the furniture must be in her bedroom. “I sent you some things.” 

“Yes you did.” Andy said quietly and she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “Thank you, it was very thoughtful of you.”

The movement of her hands drew his eyes down to her stomach. “Oh darling you look like you’re ready to pop. May I?” He held his hands over her bump and when she gave him a nod he placed his hands down, fingers spread wide over the surface. He didn’t feel any kicking, just slow movement as though the baby was moving around to get comfortable. 

“Hello my darling girl. I’ve missed you so much, but you’re going to be here soon and then I’ll get to hold you and talk to you and kiss you. I’m so excited to see you my little one.” He cooed as he pressed his ear to Andy’s stomach.

He was so involved in becoming reacquainted with his daughter that he missed the movement around him. Michael gathered up his jacket and waved his fingers at Andy with a smile, and then softly left the couple alone.

After a few minutes Tom looked up and realized that it was now just he and Andy in the small flat. He sat on the floor next her and looked up into her eyes.

“Not that I’m complaining but why did you forgive me so easily?” 

“At this point I know when certain things simply aren’t important anymore. All I can do is take care of myself and do what’s best for my baby. I can’t allow myself to get upset every time you get jealous or threatened by someone being close to me.” Andy sounded calm as she said this. “You need to deal with your feelings, I can’t do anything to change them. I am not the one who caused the distrust in this relationship.”

Tom hung his head as his cheeks turned pink in shame. He didn’t know what to say to that. They were silent for a few minutes until Andy started pulling herself into a more comfortable sitting position on the sofa. She reached for a small book but when she couldn’t reach it Tom’s hand snapped out and grabbed it for her.

She opened the book and turned a few pages and then pulled the pen from the spine of the book. 

“So I’ve been thinking over names.”

Tom nodded silently, at this point she could name their baby whatever she liked and he would give no argument.

“Have you?” She asked.

His eyes slowly met hers and he gave a small shrug with a crooked smile.

“I think I want something a little simpler. Andrea is such a mouth full.” She mused. “Maybe Rosie?”

“That’s nice.” He rasped out, still feeling a little choked up.

“Or maybe Willa? I was so in love with American authors when I was a teenager.”

“Willa Cather? She's a bit heavy isn’t she?”

“Maybe…” Andy scribbled something on her page. “What were you thinking?”

“Ophelia?” He offers hesitantly.

“Hamlet’s Ophelia? Now who’s being a bit heavy handed?” She joked at him and he smiled at her in return. “You know in Spain it’s pronounced as ‘Oh-fay-lee-ah’ not ‘Oh-fee-lee-ah’”

“Is that so?” He rubbed his jaw, “a bit more melodic that way, like bells twinkling.”

“Bells tinkle, they don’t twinkle.” She laughed and nudged his shoulder with her toe.

“You’re very sure of yourself at this stage of your pregnancy. Has no one been around to argue with you?” He joked and pulled her calf to rest over his shoulder so he could rub his thumbs into the arch of her foot. When she let out a deep moan he had to fight everything he had not to stiffen at the noise.

“No one dares to argue with me, they’re all afraid if they upset me that I’ll go into labor.” When she tried to move her other foot into his hands as well he pulled away. He let out a little laugh at the pout on her lips and stood up to join her on the couch. Before he sat down he leaned over her to help move her hips to sit sideways, then he pulled her feet up so he could sit down. Once they were settled again he alternated rubbing one foot and then the other. 

“I’ve been really leaning toward Harper.” Andy told him quietly.

“Like Harper Lee?”

“Mm-hm. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was my favorite book as a kid, it’s still on the top of my list.”

“I love that book as well, wonderful film, Gregory Peck is brilliant in it.” Tom agreed.

“What about Harper Ophelia?” She paused and then quickly added, “or Ophelia Harper?”

“Ophelia Harper McKenzie...that has a nice ring to it.”

“Wrong surname though.” 

Tom looked at her in confusion and when he understood her, his eyes brightened as a huge grin covered his face. “Do you mean that, truly?” 

Andy didn’t say anything just simply nodded at him. 

“Then it would have to be Harper Ophelia Hiddleston. Much better cadence.” His hands gripped her feet tightly while he waited for her answer.

“Harper Ophelia Hiddleston.” Andy murmured. “I think we’ve just named our baby.”


	12. Chapter 12

A few days later, Tom found himself walking around downtown Madrid with an extremely bossy woman, especially for her tiny stature. They went into yet another building and rode the lift to the 23 floor, once there, they walked down the corridor until they reached the corner unit. The woman checked her paper and then nodded at the door, Tom opened it for her and they walked into a small foyer that opened into a large living space.

The woman walked up to meet the man standing in the middle of the room. They introduced themselves in rapid Spanish until she turned to pull Tom over.

“Tom, this is Ramon, he’s been setting up all the viewings for us.” Elsa said as the men shook hands. 

Ramon turned and started the tour. Tom listened to Elsa translate the more difficult phrases as they walked. The living area had large windows that overlooked the large Retiro park. Attached to this room was a smaller dining area with a well sized kitchen, on the other side of the foyer there was a good sized study as well as a small room and full bathroom, Elsa declared this would make the perfect guest room. They climbed the flight of stairs to see a large master bedroom with two walk in closets and a good size master bathroom. Across the corridor was a second bedroom with an additional bathroom attached.

As they walked through the rooms Tom could picture his little family in this place. He wanted to paint the bedroom a pale lilac for Harper and fill it with beautiful books and toys for his little treasure. He and Andy could share the study downstairs, or they could even turn the little bedroom into another study so they could have their own spaces. The view of the park was wonderful, as scenic as one could get in a city this large.

“Tom?” Elsa asked him quietly when he hadn’t said a word since they had entered the flat. “What do you think? The others we have seen have definitely had potential and we can have Ramon set up a few more viewings.”

“Elsa, I think this is the place.” He whispered to her, when he faced her he look completely terrified.

“Alright.” She rubbed his arm comfortingly and gave him a smile. “Then this is it. I’ll talk to him about setting up the paperwork.”

Tom stayed put in front of the windows until Elsa came to fetch him. She took him by the crook of the arm and led him all the way until they were back on the pavement. They went in search of some lunch. When they were settled at a small table Elsa burst out laughing at the look on Tom’s face.

“What?” He asked a bit irritated.

“You have the same look on your face that Chris had for nearly my entire pregnancy. Finding a home makes it a sure thing, doesn’t it?”

Sheepishly he shrugged. “I guess.”

“Don’t worry about it anymore, think about this instead.” She pulled out another small book. “I am throwing Andy a baby shower.”

“Christ!” He rubbed his hand through his hair. “I didn’t even think about that, will she be upset that I didn’t do something earlier? I’m such a tit.”

“You’re not supposed to plan the shower, a girlfriend is.” With that she gave him a little wave and pointed at herself. “I’ve set it for next Sunday, hopefully she doesn’t go into labor before then.” She looked up and laughed as the blood drained from Tom’s face.

“Mi vida,” she touched the back of his hand. “The party will be at least two weeks before she is due.”

Tom ordered a large beer when the waitress returned.

“I sent out notes to your family, her co-workers, I sent one to Ben is that alright?” She looked up to see what his answer would be.

“Yes, Ben want’s to come out, don’t worry about any others. I don’t want to overwhelm Andy.”

“I’m going to have it at our place so there’s enough space and Andy doesn’t worry about making her place ready.”

“Will Chris be back in town by then?” 

“He’s back in a few days, he should be there.” She placed her notes down so she could eat some of her salad. “He can give you some advice.”

“Advice about the labor?” Tom took a huge gulp of beer when she nodded. “I’ve been reading all the books I can get my hands on but Andy is so different from anyone I’ve ever known. She’s going to throw me for a loop...just like she always does.” He smiled a bit at that.

After a few minutes he ground his teeth together and realized something, “You should probably send an invitation to Fassbender.”

“Oh of course,” Elsa agreed and wrote it down so she wouldn’t forget. “I’m going by Andy’s tomorrow to tell her about the party.”

“I’ll be sure to steer clear, you can handle her wrath on your own.”

\---

The night before Elsa’s big party Chris and Ben had dragged Tom out for drinks. 

Tom’s mother had flown in the day before and she had been cooing and fussing over Andy since she arrived, Andy always was a favorite of hers so now it seemed to be no surprise that she was pleased in her granddaughter's mother.

The men had walked to a small street off one of the plaza’s and had decided to work their way from bar to bar.

“This isn’t a fucking stag night you tits.” Tom said with a huff as the other men made a big show of buying him drinks and slapping him on the back.

“It is for us!” Ben cried out with a laugh. “To the future father, Mr. Hiddleston, may his daughter grow to be as beautiful as her mother and have all the charm of her father.”

“If she does then Tom will have a heart attack before she reaches sixteen.” Chris pointed out, and the men had a great laugh at the expense of Tom, who was looking pale at the prospect.

“It won’t be a problem, she won’t ever need another man in her life until she’s at least 30.” Tom said while he crossed his arms.

“Just keep thinking that mate.” Chris slapped him on the back again causing Tom to jerk forward a step.

“You have a daughter too!” Tom pointed out with a bit of a whine.

“Well she’s different isn’t she? She’s as good looking as I am but she has her mother’s Latin temper. The boys won’t have a chance.”

Ben rolled his eyes at the two of them. “I think you both are missing the rather crucial point here.” They turned to look at him with questioning looks. “These girls will be raised in our circles, and the more famous the two of you get, the more time they will spend with future Brad Pitts and George Clooneys.”

Chris and Tom stood up straight so they cowered a bit over Ben as much as they could.

“Oh come off it.” Ben said with an eye roll. “That’s your problem, not mine. I’m just giving you guys early warning so you can plan before hand.”

“I curse you.” Tom said with a cold tone of voice. “I curse you to have six beautiful girls that have your English manners and the looks of Audrey Hepburn.”

“Oh that’s cold, Tom. Very cold.” Chris told him in a low voice.

“I can handle it.” Ben said with a shrug of his shoulders and took a big drink.

“Let’s give it a few years and see what you have to say then.” Tom said with a jab to Ben’s shoulder.

“Right, enough of this shit. On we get.” Chris slammed down his glass and they walked down to find the next place.

They staggered to the new bar, next door, and settled themselves against the wall. Chris gently pushed forward to order the next round.

“How are you and Andy?” Ben asked Tom when they were alone. “I didn’t want to ask earlier because I didn’t know if you had mentioned anything…” He drifted off and gave a jerk of his chin in Chris’ direction.

“No, only Emma knows really. I couldn’t even bare to tell my mother the truth.” Tom looked around the bar, unable to meet Ben’s eyes.

“So how are the two of you?”

“We’re being parents, not a couple. She asked me to give her space until after the baby is born.”

“That’s an opening at the very least.” Ben pointed out.

“That was before I left and lost my shit at her.” He looked to see Ben frowning at him. “Fassbender surprised her with a trip to the North of Spain for a long weekend. There were pictures of the two of them and I may have overreacted.”

“May have?”

“I asked if she could refrain from being seen half naked with another man.” Ben’s eyes widen at this omission. “That was when she told me not to call her anymore.”

“Christ Tom, you have got to get your shit together. You have days until this becomes more than just about the two of you.”

“I know, I know. We’ve been doing much better actually, I’m really trying to let go of my protection of her to see when I’m being a jealous prick.” Tom told him fervently.

“You’re being a jealous prick?” Chris asked as he handed over the beers in his giant hands.

“He doesn’t like Fassbender.” Ben said with a shrug.

Tom gave him a death look before turning and accepting his beer from Chris.

“Well he is a bit familiar around Andy.” Chris pointed out.

“He’s been in Madrid since Andy moved here. He’s been a good friend to her.” Tom replied.

“Well then, be better.”

“What the fuck am I to do with that?” Tom said as he coughed into his glass.

“Treat her better, be more caring, just be better for her than he is. Problem solved.” Chris punched his shoulder lightly with his fist.

“Easy, Hammer of the Gods.” Tom groaned as he rubbed his shoulder.

After an hour and another drink later the group moved down a few places to another bar. There they bolted down some pork and toast to counteract the alcohol they had been consuming nonstop. 

“I swear if either of you are hung-over tomorrow I will have to kill you, because Elsa will never let me hear the end of it.” Chris said as he ordered more beer and waited for the tapas to be slid in front of them.

“What the fuck are croquettas?” Ben slurred as he read off a sign over the bar.

“Oh, genius mate.” Chris told him as he leaned over the bar to shout to one of the men, “tienes croquettas?”

A few minutes later a plate of what appeared to be fried dough was placed in front of them. “Gracias senor.” Chris told him with a smile. “Eat up, it’s fried pork and cheese. Best fucking thing you will ever taste.”

After watching Chris shove an entire one in his mouth the other two followed suit. Ben moaned in agreement and Tom was so far gone that he quietly ate without making any noise.

“When are you going to tell Andy about the flat, Tom?” Chris asked him when he swallowed his food down with a drink of beer.

Ben coughed a few times and then took a big swallow of beer. “What flat?”

“I bought a flat here. Three bedrooms.” Tom said quietly.

“Tom, I can’t fucking hear you. Talk like a normal human.” Ben yelled directly into his ear.

“I bought a flat.” Tom yelled in response.

“That’s fantastic!” Ben replied with a grin. “So you haven’t told Andy yet?”

“No.” He said quietly again.

“That’s it. He needs to be back up again.” Ben said with a sigh. He waved to one of the bartenders and ordered two more beers.

“What’s wrong with you mate?” Chris asked a little softer.

“What if she doesn’t want to move there? What if the baby doesn’t like me? What if she meets someone else and I just am the weekend father? I grew up with that, I won’t be able to stand it if that happens to my baby.”

Thankfully, Ben walked back to them with full arms.

“Drink this.” He handed Tom a dark beer, Tom took one sip but Ben shook his head at him. “The whole thing.” He waited until the glass was drained and then he handed Tom a plate. “Eat these.”

“What is this?”

“No idea. The only word I understood was potato.” Ben and Chris waited until Tom ate the few bites on the plate, then Ben handed him another full glass of dark beer. “Drink.”

“Right.” Chris said after a second. “When are you going to tell Andy?”

Whatever regiment Ben had just performed must have revived Tom because he suddenly couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“That’s going to be my baby present!” He almost bounced in excitement. “After the party she will have so many things for our little Harper, and her place is pretty small. So I want to take her to see it the day after tomorrow. There are two bedrooms upstairs so I figure I’ll give the master to Andy and the baby can sleep with her until she is comfortable having her sleep across the way. I can always sleep downstairs in the guest room. Maybe that type of space will let her put her guard down and I can win her back!”

“Harper?” Ben asked with a smile.

“Harper Ophelia Hiddleston.” Tom said proudly, his chest puffed out a bit. “We are going to use the Spanish pronunciation not the English, give it a bit of individuality.”

“That’s wonderful mate.” Ben slapped him on the back.


	13. Chapter 13

The day of the party Tom came by to take Andy to Chris and Elsa’s. He was a bit hung-over when he woke up but a long run and a cold shower had sobered him up quickly. When her door opened Tom had to suck in a breath. Andy was standing in long Empire waist blouse that met the top of her thighs, under that she was wearing a pair of tight black leggings and flats. Her hair was loose and curled over her shoulders.

After a moment of Tom frozen in the doorway Andy asked him if he wanted to come in for a moment. He couldn’t speak so he simply nodded in agreement. 

“You look like a Goddess.” He breathed out.

“I look like a Roman Goddess because I am enormous.” She said grudgingly.

“You look mouthwatering.” He replied passionately.

“Tom.” She said with a plea in her tone of voice.

“Are you excited for Elsa’s party?”

“I am actually. It’s so sweet of her to go to all of this trouble. It’ll be nice to see everyone and your Mum is so happy about it. I’m glad I can do the little act of showing up to make her happy.”

“This is for you my darling.” He sighed a bit when she rolled her eyes.

“Right, well are you ready to head out?” 

“Just one more thing.” He pulled a small box out of the bag he had brought with him. When he opened it, there was a small but beautiful bundle of delicate wild flowers. He took it out of the resting place and gently pinned it to her blouse. “Wild flowers for my beautiful wild one.”

“I am not wild.” Andy said with a scoff and a small laugh.

“You are stubborn and untamed. That makes you wild and completely gorgeous.” Tom told her as he touched her cheek and his eyes darkened.

They showed up to Elsa and Chris’ not long after three. No one had shown up yet as the party didn’t start until four but Elsa appeared to be a small hurricane moving from room to room. The only time she stopped was to remove a stack of plates from Andy’s hands and move her into the sitting room to recline in a rocking chair.

Andy sat there nervously until Tom came and put himself on the floor by her feet. He pulled her legs into his lap and massaged her calves and ankles until she was reclined in the chair with her eyes half closed. After a while the bell rang and Andy tensed up; Tom in turn, took a firmer hold on her left leg and kept rubbing. 

When Diana walked in she saw her son with his hands on Andy and she couldn’t contain the smile that grew. “Hello my darlings.” Tom went to jump up but she waved him back down. She walked over and kissed Tom’s cheek before hugging Andy and then holding her by her shoulders so she could look at her closely. 

“How are you feeling my love?” Diana asked as she took a seat next to the pregnant woman.

“Terribly uncomfortable.” Andy said while rolling her eyes.

The first time Tom heard her admit to this he went into a complete panic, but when Andy explained to him that it was simply her body getting ready for the baby, he relaxed but not by much.

“I remember when I was pregnant with Sarah.” Diana said with a soft smile. “I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to give birth. I thought I would mess it up somehow.”

Tom seemed surprised at this thought and looked up as Andy answered her.

“That’s what I’m afraid of, on top of how on Earth am I going to raise a person.”

“Well, what I learned is that you don’t really have a choice when it comes to labor. It happens when the baby is well and ready. You have to do all the hard work but you don’t have a choice when it comes to timing.”

“How long were you in labor?” Andy asked a bit hesitantly.

“Only a few hours, surprisingly short time actually.” Diana said casually, she hesitated for a moment and then asked, “do you know how long your mother was in labor with you?”

“No.” Andy said and her eyes lowered to study the carpet.

“Well it really is different for every woman, it isn’t hereditary.” 

“Of course.” Andy said and gave her and Tom a half hearted smile. “How long can you stay Diana?”

“Well you know me, I have a ticket for Wednesday but I’m always open to change.”

“Of course, Wednesday might work perfectly because then you can come back again closer to the due date.” Andy told her with smile.

“That’s what I was thinking too, my dear. Emma couldn’t make it for today but she want’s to come out when we’re closer to your date.”

“I miss Emma terribly.”

“She misses you too my dear.” Tom told her before his mother could ask about the separation. Thankfully a few of Andy’s co workers arrived to interrupt the moment.

Andy tried to stand up so Tom jumped to his feet to pull Andy to a standing position. She hugged the various people in greeting. She walked to show them the amazing table of nibbles that Elsa had provided.

“Tom.” His mother addressed him sternly. “Whatever you decide between the two of you, don’t you dare use your connections against her. You will share the responsibility equally.”

“Mum. I bought a flat here so she can stay with her work. I am going to try and convince her to move in tomorrow morning.” He squared her shoulders to face his mother’s scrutiny. “I am stepping up to this family of mine.”

“Of course you are my dear boy. I’m just disappointed that I didn’t know until so late.”

“I understand.” Tom told her but didn’t explain any further.

Chris walked over and offer Tom a beer. Tom took it but looked at the man with a frown creasing his brows. “I’m fairly sure you tried to kill me last night.”

“I had no idea you were this unprepared for your baby.” Chris replied with a shrug.

“I am completely prepared.”

“Sure you are.” Chris said skeptically.

“Christ. She will be here in a few days. How the fuck did you do it?” Tom asked in a panic. 

“Don’t question your woman. Ever! She knows her body so when she’s ready she will be ready. Listen to what she tells you.”

Tom looked over at the woman sitting in the rocking chair, and agreed with a shrug.

Andy’s friends showed up and brought all sorts of wrapped boxes to add to the pile. When Michael showed up Chris and Tom tensed a bit but Andy was so happy to see him they tried to hide their anxiety. Ben walked up to the man and greeted him warmly with a hug that involved a lot of back slapping and laughter. Michael produced a large party bag that he insisted Andy open immediately. He had found a large diaper bag that was covered in flowers and elephants, Andy had been coveting it for some time now. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“I can just imagine you buying something so girlie. Big, manly Michael Fassbender buying a diaper bag covered in flowers.” Andy laughed at him as she rested her hand on the side of his face. Tom stood up straighter at this action but Chris rested a hand on his shoulder to make him relax.

“Anything for you sweetheart.” He laughed. He didn’t stay long, slightly uncomfortable surrounded by all the woman and baby activities. He kissed the top of Andy’s head and told her he would see her in a few days.

After a while Elsa declared that it was time to determine Andy’s size. She brought out a spool of ribbon and brought it around to the girls. They each picked a different length to show their guesses. 

The men stayed as far away from this game as they could.

When Leslie was determined the winner Andy gave her a hug. “I knew your daily hugs had a greater purpose.” Andy told her with a laugh and Elsa gave her the gift bag.

“Having two children had nothing to do with it.” Leslie agreed with a laugh.

They did a few other party games Elsa had prepared and then they opened the gifts. Andy was overwhelmed by the generosity of the her and Tom’s friend’s. The gave her so many baby supplies she was brought to tears. These people barely knew her but they were willing to provide all of these gifts. She had piles and piles of baby girl clothes, and every baby utensil you could think of. Andy was sure she wouldn't need to get any more bottles or diapers anytime soon. While she was looking at a beautiful buggy, and a carrier for the car, and a playpen, she began to worry about where she could possibly keep all of this. 

As the party wound down Andy could feel her exhaustion setting in. She leaned heavily on Tom while she listened to Elsa telling her not to worry about anything and that they would bring the gifts by later. Tom held her tightly against his side as they walked slowly to the lift and to his car. By the time they reached her flat she was already asleep. He hated to wake her but he needed to get her quickly into her bed. He put her into bed and then locked up behind him.

\---

The next morning Tom came by to see how his girl was doing. Andy let him in and quickly returned to the sofa. 

“Are you alright?” Tom asked in a worried voice.

“My hips are really sore and my lower back has been cramping all morning.” She sounded exhausted.

“Well Elsa said that slow walking can help with that. Fancy a stroll? There’s something I want to show you.” Tom asked excitedly.

“Sure.” Andy said and held her hands out to him with a smile. He went to her and pulled her to her feet.

The next thing they knew Tom was pulling a key out of his pocket and handing it over to Andy. She frowned in confusion and then unlocked the door in front of them. Tom held the door and she walked into the large open room of the flat. She looked in awe at the beautiful kitchen and then wandered to the to other rooms. After a few minutes she walked to the stairs and Tom followed behind her to ensure that she didn’t fall.

She walked carefully and slowly through both of the rooms, she didn’t say a word the entire time. Finally she walked back to the stairs and Tom rushed to walk down in front of her. When they reached the center of the large room she turned to face him.

“What is this place?” She asked him quietly.

“I bought it. I needed a place here and…” He looked down and scrubbed the back of his neck. “And I was thinking...maybe you could...you could move here as well.” He looked up in time to see total panic set into Andy’s features.

“You and Harper can have the upstairs rooms and I could take the room down here. You need a bigger place, you could have all this space for the two of you.” He started pacing as he rushed to get through his speech. 

“And when I’m able to be here I can see more of Harper without going back and forth between mine and yours. Of course you don’t need to decide right now, I just wanted you to know about this place so you could think about it.” 

“I already bought it but I don’t want to pressure you so I-” Tom was cut off when Andy let out a sharp cry. He spun to find her leaning heavily on the wall while she held tightly to her stomach. He looked down and saw a pool of clear liquid on the floor beneath her. He was frozen for a heartbeat and then he ran to her side.

“I think...I th-think I’m going into labor.” Andy stuttered out as her lips and hands shook strongly. She tried to take deep calming breaths like she learned but was have a hard time relaxing. Her mind was completely overwhelmed with all the news Tom had just given her, now was not a great time for this baby to come into the World.

“Alright. Alright, let’s go downstairs.” Tom tried to talk slowly but he felt as though his heart was going to burst out his chest. He dug his mobile out of his pocket and dialed the doorman, he pulled Andy to the front door while he waited for the call to connect. “Hello? Yes I need to you to call me a cab, my-” He looked worriedly down at the woman in his arms. “My wife has gone into labor.”


	14. Chapter 14

At 10 that night Andy and Tom were exhausted. She had been having labor pains for hours and they were no closer to meeting their baby. Andy was covered in sweat and tears while Tom was not in much better shape. His hair stood up on his head in frayed curls from the hundreds of time’s he had run his fingers through it. Andy was trying to catch a few minutes of sleep between contractions, while Tom rested his head on the bed by her hand. 

They were the only ones in the room at the moment. The waiting room had slowly filled with concerned friends and family. Ben and Chris had taken Tom to the canteen earlier for some tea and food while Michael had taken his place at Andy’s bed. When they had returned Andy was in the middle of a contraction so Michael was holding her hands and talking her through it. Tom had been quick to take over so Michael could go back to the waiting room.

Andy shifted to her side and let out a gasp of pain. Tom shot up and held her hands tightly in his own.

“It’s alright my darling. Breath, take a deep breath.” He mimicked her motions as he watched the screen that was monitoring her contractions. “Another breath baby. Good, good. Almost there, almost. Take a breath, slow...slow.” He saw that the contraction was starting to lessen and then it was over. “Good girl, it’s over. It’s alright love.” He let go of one of her hands so he could reach for the cool flannel on the table. He wiped her face gently and brushed the tears away.

“I’m so tired Tom.” She gasped out and more tears trickled down her cheeks.

“I know baby. You are doing so well, you’re so brave.” He cooed at her. “Would you like to go for another walk? See if we can tempt Harper into getting here soon?”

She nodded in agreement so he rushed out to get some company. He came back with Chris and Elsa.

“Oooh how are you mi vida?” Elsa asked gently as she rushed to Andy. She ran her hand over her hair and tutted at the tangles. “Tom you should have put her hair back.” 

Tom just looked back at her with a bewildered expression. Chris put his arm around Tom’s shoulders for a second and they watched as Elsa pulled a brush out of her bag. She climbed behind Andy in the bed and gently brushed the tangles out of her hair. When it was smooth she twisted it into a firm braid to keep the hair out of her face, the entire time she was making little calming sounds to make Andy relax. 

A few nurses came in and Elsa asked them to make it possible for Andy to take a walk, so they scuttled around the room and changed machines and wires. When they were done Chris and Tom pulled Andy to her feet and walked with her to the hallway. 

Andy walked slowly between the large bodies of Tom and Chris. Elsa walked in front of her chatting non stop about what was going on in the waiting room.

“Michael and Ben haven’t left all day. Ben disappeared for a few minutes but he had gone to the shop to buy cards. They are currently betting everything they can pull out of their pockets. I tried to get Chris to play with them and change the game to strip poker but the staff here weren’t too happy with that idea. I assumed they would be thrilled, can you imagine three hot movie stars taking their clothes off? The papers would have a good time with it. They still haven’t figured it out by the way, no paparazzi so far.” Elsa continued to talk and distract Andy, not waiting for any answers in response to what she was saying. 

After a few minutes they had to stop while another contraction hit Andy. Tom moved himself behind her and held her tightly, counting in his mind while he helped her breath through the pain. He bent his knees so he could rest his chin on her shoulder and wrap his arms around her belly. Chris and Elsa watched the couple with grins on their faces. They hated to see Andy in this much pain but it was reassuring to see their friends so close together.

When they made their second pass Andy asked if she could lay back down so they helped her back into her bed. 

Hours passed and still nothing. Tom’s mum had pulled him into the hallway so he could bolt down a quick sandwich and then he rushed back to Andy.

At around 4 in the morning Andy asked the nurses if she could walk around again and they said it wasn’t a problem. When Tom left to go out to the waiting room she called out after him.

“Would it be alright if Michael came back for a few minutes?” She asked him timidly. “If he’s still here of course.”

Tom nodded and rushed out of the room. When he got to the waiting room he looked around at the people there. His mother was laying on a bench with Michael’s leather jacket as a pillow and Ben’s sweater covering her. Ben was sitting by her feet with his head back against the wall and snoring. Michael and Chris were in the middle of a hand of poker, Chris had Elsa in his lap while she slept.

“Michael.” Tom asked quietly so he wouldn’t wake the people who were sleeping. The man in question looked up with a startled look. “Andy wanted to know if you would walk around with her for a bit.”

Michael jumped to his feet and threw his cards onto the table as he rushed to follow Tom back to their room. When they entered the room Andy was sitting on the side of the bed with her legs dangling off the edge.

“What’s all this then?” He asked her with a smile. 

She smiled weakly at him, “I wasn’t getting enough attention, decided to draw out these wonderful labor pains as long as possible.”

Michael burst out with a loud laugh that made Andy’s eyes crinkle and her smile broaden. Tom couldn’t make the jealous feeling disappear completely but it did make him happy to see her smile. They walked over to her and they each took a hand so they could pull her to her feet.

“Christ you’re heavy.” Michael told her with a laugh.

“There’s two of us here you ass.” She replied and punched his shoulder.

“Ow, Tom’s the father, isn’t he the one to be taking all the hits today?” He rubbed the spot with a pout on his face.

“He’s being too nice to me.” She shrugged and the three of them started their slow march. “I can’t believe you all are still here. There’s a hotel nearby, you should at least try and get some sleep.”

“And miss the trouble maker’s arrival? Not on your life.”

“She certainly is living up to her nickname today isn’t she?” Tom pointed out and the three of them laughed.

“Are you cleaning everyone out?” Andy asked Michael.

“You bet. Turns out Chris is a horrible bluff and had the most cash on him. You are looking at a man who is at least thirty euros richer.” He told her as he puffed out his chest.

“Whatever will you do with all that money.” Andy said as she rolled her eyes.

“You want me to bring a deck back here? You and Tom could play a few hands while you’re waiting.” Michael looked over her head at Tom. “Talk about a terrible player, she’ll be broke in a half hour.”

“I wouldn’t have a chance.” Tom replied. “All she would have to do is wince and I would fold every time.”

“Just because I’m small doesn’t mean you get to have conversations over me.” She grumbled and the men laughed in response.

Suddenly Andy tensed up and let out a sharp cry. Tom rushed to put his arms around her, thinking it was another contraction but he saw all the blood drain from her face as her knees buckled. Tom pulled her up into his arms and rushed her back to her room, he could hear Michael calling out for the nurses as he followed the pair. When Tom laid Andy gently back on the bed he could see a bit of blood on her gown and on the sleeve of his button down. 

“Andy!” He cried out when her eyes started to slip closed. “Andy stay with me. It’s alright I’ve got you.” He watched helplessly as two nurses started checking her vitals and their doctor rushed in. He unceremoniously pulled up Andy’s gown and started checking to see how far along she was. He started giving the nurses instructions in rapid Spanish and then rushed out of the room.

One of the women pushed him away so he moved to stand next to Michael against the wall. 

“What is it? What are they doing?” Michael asked in a panicked voice.

“The baby is trying to come but she isn’t dilated enough. They are doing an emergency cesarean.” Tom told him in a shaky voice. 

An orderly bustled in and they quickly slid Andy onto a different bed and started pushing her down the hallway. Michael and Tom jogged to keep up with them but when they reached another set of doors they were stopped. The men watched as Andy was pushed into an operating room and the doctor followed now wearing a set of scrubs. They stood frozen for a few minutes until they turned to look at each other. Michael’s face was pale while Tom had tears starting to trickle down his cheeks.

“It’s going to be fine mate.” Michael told him as he put his hand’s on the taller man’s shoulders. “This probably happens all the time. Andy is young and healthy, they got her into surgery quickly. It’s going to be fine.” 

He put his arm around Tom’s shoulders and led him into the waiting room so he could be with his family. When they walked in Chris looked up with a tired expression but surged to his feet when he saw the expression on the men’s faces. 

“What is it?” He called out as he rushed up to them. Elsa and Ben jerked out of their sleep where they were sitting side by side. Diana slowly sat up when she heard Chris’ loud voice.

“Something happened.” Michael said in a daze. “She’s in surgery. We...we were walking, and she was joking, and...and laughing when she sort of passed out.” He ran his hands over his face. “Tom said the doctor needed to take her to have an emergency cesarean.”

Tom still hadn’t said a word. His eyes were unfocused as he surveyed the room around him. When he looked down he could see the blood on his shirt sleeves and it appeared that it was also on his stomach as well. He touched it lightly with his fingers and pulled the material away from his skin. ‘No wonder Chris was worried when he saw me’ he thought to himself. Suddenly his mother was at his side pushing him to sit down. Michael sat down in the seat next to him and lowered his face into his hands. 

The other people in the room hurried into action. Chris and Ben went off to find something for Tom to change into while Elsa went to talk to the nurses and find out more information about Andy. Diana was talking to Tom but he couldn’t seem to focus on what she was saying. 

After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, all three people came back into the room. Chris handed a blue scrub top to Diana and she started unbuttoning Tom’s shirt for him when he didn’t do it himself. Elsa crouched in front of him and put her hand on his cheek.

“She’s in surgery and stable. They needed to rush so the baby didn’t choke. Sometimes the umbilical cord can strangle the baby when the mother experiences trauma.” Tom’s head snapped up when he heard that but Elsa continued quickly, “But they caught it in time. Now they just need to finish everything up.” 

Tom looked down at his bare chest and then at his mother. She gave him a soft smile and handed the new top over to him. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves and slipped on the new shirt.

“She’s going to be alright.” He said in a small voice. 

“Yes she is.” His mother agreed heartedly.

He turned to look at the man slumped down next to him. “Thank you Michael. I’m glad you are here for her.” 

Michael slowly sat up and looked at Tom in surprise before nodded. “Of course.” He said in a raspy voice.

They sat together for a long time, neither talking but taking comfort in the company. Ben disappeared for a long stretch and when he came back he had two trays of coffee cups stacked in his hands. He set them down on the table and looked carefully at the labels before distributing them to their owners. When he handed Tom and Michael theirs they each took a big gulp and immediately started coughing in surprise.

“Sorry about that, I probably should have warned you first.” Ben said with a laugh.

“You think?” Tom struggled to say between coughs.

When the others looked at them curiously Ben shrugged his shoulders. “There may be a bit of a pick me up in their coffees.” 

Chris burst out laughing while Diana frowned at him but then rolled her eyes. The boys relaxed and took another drink that didn’t involve choking on the whiskey in their drinks.

The hours seemed to crawl by. When the doctor came out to find Tom, everyone jumped to their feet. 

“So you’ve had an eventful evening by the sound of it.” He joked with Tom. 

“How is she? Can I see her?” Tom asked in a rush.

“Not yet, she’s in recovery because she’s lost a lot of blood. But I expect her to wake up very soon.”

“Wake up? I thought you couldn’t have her under anesthesia while she was pregnant?” Tom asked in a panic.

“Once the baby was out Andrea went into shock and had a minor seizure, we needed to sedate her so we could close the incision without causing any damage.”

“Good God.” Tom ran his hands through his hair. “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine. When she’s moved back into her room I will have someone come and get you.” The doctor patted Tom reassuringly on the arm and moved to leave the room.

“Wait!” Tom called out suddenly. “Harper? The...the baby. You said...you said you delivered the baby?”

“Yes of course. She’s a little early so it will be a few minutes before you can hold her but if you want to see her she’s just down the hall.” The doctor told him with a smile as he pointed in the right direction.

Tom didn’t wait for him to stop speaking before he was sprinting to see his daughter.


	15. Chapter 15

When Andy woke up she felt like someone had rearranged all of her insides. She blinked for a minute and when she saw her smaller stomach she tried to sit up as she cried out.

“Shh...it’s alright my love. You had to have a cesarean, it’s alright.” Tom told her soothingly as he pushed her shoulders gently so she was laying down. “No sudden movements just yet, let your body heal itself.”

“Where is she? I want to see her.” She asked him in a voice that cracked from underuse. Tom rushed to offer her a cup of water for her sore throat.

He beamed at her and twisted a bit, and when he was facing her again he was holding an impossibly tiny bundle of blanket. He placed their new baby on Andy’s chest so she could hold her.

“Oh my God.” Andy said in wonder. She brushed her fingers over their baby’s tiny button nose. Her eyes took in the tiny eyelashes on their baby’s closed eyes, her lips that were pushed out into a delicate pout. “Is she alright?” 

“She’s wonderful my darling.” Tom leaned down and pressed a kiss to Andy’s forehead. “You were so brave, you’ve given me so much Andrea.” His voice cracked on her name.

They stayed close together for a while, not talking, simply staring at this beautiful baby between them. Tom rubbed a long finger across the top of Harper’s head, he couldn’t get over the amount of black hair that she had. Where had she received black hair from? Her eyes were closed now but earlier he had been able to see her big bright blue eyes. After a few more minutes Harper wriggled awake and started making small noises while she looked up at Andy.

“Hello you.” Andy whispered to her. She looked up at Tom with a questioning look. “Do you think I should feed her now? Is it safe?”

Tom chuckled at how uncertain she sounded. “The nurse said as soon as you are awake and able to hold her it would be fine. Why don’t you try? I’ll lift the bed a bit, yes?” He slowly adjusted the bed so Andy was in more of a sitting position.

He watched quietly as Andy adjusted the tiny infant in her arms so she could open her shirt and try to breastfeed. After a few unsuccessful attempts Harper finally latched and started eating hungrily. Andy smiled down at her little girl and Tom felt his chest swell with pride. 

When Harper was back to sleeping quietly, Tom brushed a few strands of hair off of Andy’s face.

“Do you feel up to having visitors?” He asked her quietly.

“Sure.” She told him with a smile. 

He walked out of the door and in a few minutes he returned with the group of their friends. Diana and Elsa rushed to see the baby and Andy handed her over to the new Grandmother, the two women cooed and fussed over the tiny little girl. Chris and Ben slapped Tom on the back as they stood and watched the women move around. Michael immediately hurried over to sit on the bed next to Andy. He gave her a fierce hug and left a kiss on her forehead when he pulled away.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, understood.” He told her firmly. 

“I’m so sorry Michael.” She said as tears filled her eyes.

“Don’t cry sweetheart. You just scared me.” He said gently, he waited a moment and then smiled, “so your little troublemaker is finally here.” 

“Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Gorgeous. She looks like her mother.” He chucked her under her chin.

“You didn’t even see her yet.” Andy pointed out to him.

“While you were in recovery we could see her in the nursery. I’ve known her longer than you have.” He laughed when she pretended to pout at this revelation.

They turned to watch Harper get passed around. When Ben held her his face relaxed into a sense of wonder and a slow smile grew across his face. He held her close to his chest and gave Tom a smile when the other man took a picture of him.

“It won’t be long until he get’s his turn, will it?” Michael asked Andy with a chuckle.

“That’s for sure. He can’t get enough of babies, I hope he comes to visit often.”

Andy smiled as Ben leaned down to press his lips against Harper’s head. Tom got a picture of that as well. When it was Chris’ turn you could barely see the baby as his huge hands engulfed her. Elsa fussed with the baby as Chris held her. 

“We should have another one.” Chris told her.

“Not a chance, I remember too well what it was like with India.” Elsa said passionately but when she looked up to see Chris giving her puppy eyes she rolled her eyes. “Maybe we can try in a few months.”

The room burst out laughing which made Harper start crying. Chris handed her quickly over to Tom. Tom held her to his chest and started talking to her quietly while moving from side to side, after a minute the crying turned into muffled snores. He walked slowly over to the bed and looked down at Michael.

“Would you like to hold her?” He asked him, at Michael’s nod he gently placed the sleepy baby in Michael’s arms.

Michael curved his arms so he could cradle the little pink girl carefully. Andy adjusted the blanket so they could see her face better and they watched as the little girl’s eyes slowly closed. 

“Well done, you.” Michael told Andy as he looked up to see her smiling dreamily at the baby in his arms. He looked back down at the baby and pushed one of his blunt fingers into her curled fist, when she grabbed at the finger he smiled widely. “Harper Ophelia Hiddleston, you have a great life ahead of you.”

\---

The next night the two of them were listening to the little grunts and sucking sounds coming from their daughter as she ate. When she pulled away Tom took her from Andy and rested her on his shoulder. He gave her a few firm pats until he heard a delicate little burp that made him laugh softly. When he set her in her little bed he returned to Andy’s side.

“I’m sorry I surprised you with the flat like that.” He murmured.

“It was a bit of a shock.”

“Have you thought about it anymore?” He tried not to sound too hopeful.

“Alright.”

“Alright? You’ll move there?” Tom sat up straight, completely awake now.

“Tom you’ve sacrificed a lot by moving here and not pressing me to go back to London. It was incredibly generous of you to find a place for all of us.” She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Plus it will be nice to be able to split some of the responsibility.”

“You are such an amazing woman Andy. You never stop surprising me.” He told her with a voice thick with emotion.

A few days later and Andy was healed enough to go home. Tom had been sleeping at the hospital and the two of them would get up for midnight feedings and diaper changes. At first Tom’s long fingers seemed to tangle themselves as he tried to fit a tiny nappy around his baby girl’s little waist, but eventually he was able to complete the task without supervision. 

When they were all checked out and headed to the car Tom was a wreck. His hands kept fluttering around Andy, who was holding their baby. He had tried to install the damn car seat for twenty minutes before Chris had taken pity on him and showed him how it went. He watched as Andy gently placed Harper in the seat and buckled her in, then she moved to sit on the other side from her. Tom raced around so he could hold the door for her and when they were all settled he climbed into the driver’s seat.

It took almost twice as long for them to get home because of Tom’s insistence of staying under the speed limit. When he pulled up to a different building than the one she was used to she was confused. He parked in the underground parking and rushed around to help Andy pull the car seat out. He held the car seat in one hand while he wrapped his other arm around his girl. They took the lift up and arrived at the new flat.

“But there’s no furniture Tom.” Andy said with a bit of frustration until he pulled the door open and she saw that her things had been moved here. “You didn’t” She breathed out in disbelief.

“He actually didn’t. We figured you deserved a nice homecoming.” Chris said as the group of friends walked out of the kitchen to greet the tired parents.

“Oh thank you so much.” It made her heart lighter to see that Michael was there as well.

Tom handed Chris the carrier and beckoned for Andy to follow him. He led her up the stairs and showed her the master bedroom that now had all of her furniture as well as Harper’s. 

“I was thinking of staying across the hall for now and when you want to move Harper there I can move to the downstairs room.” Tom told her with a bit of hesitation.

Andy didn’t answer him, just threw her arms around his neck to pull him into a tight hug. “Thank you Tom.”

“Anything for you.”

When they appeared back downstairs there was a loud argument in full swing.

“Plus you held her more at the hospital.” Ben was saying with a finger pointed at Elsa.

“I saw her first.”

“That is impossible, it’s my turn. Hand her over.” He raised his hands and beckoned to the baby.

“Babe.” Chris said wearily. She huffed and handed Harper to Ben who cuddled her to his chest. Chris laughed at her and pulled his woman into his side. Ben moved from side to side in a little dance as he rocked the baby back to sleep. Tom laughed at his ridiculous friend and pulled Andy to their new kitchen. He pushed her to sit on a bar stool and he walked around to rummage in the cupboards.

“I stocked you with plenty of groceries and your mother made a week’s worth of dinner’s.” Elsa pulled the freezer open to show him the dishes. “There’s fresh coffee if you want and fruit in the fridge.”

“I wouldn’t mind some tea.” Andy said and Tom quickly went about making her some.

Michael pulled out an orange and a plate and then went to sit beside the exhausted looking woman. He carefully peeled the fruit and pulled the slices gently apart so they sat on the plate. He slid the fruit over to Andy and smiled when she popped one into her mouth.

“How you feeling kid?”

“Sore.” She gestured to her stomach, “I think they played a game of operation with me while I was out.”

“They probably had to remove the butterflies from your stomach.”

“Shut it.” She laughed and handed him an orange slice that he promptly tossed onto his tongue. “I can’t stand to even think about the staples.” She shivered at the idea.

“I know what you mean.”

“They’ll take them out soon love.” Tom told her as he placed a cup of tea in front of her.

“I’m afraid of that too.”

“It doesn’t hurt much, they numb it before hand.” Michael told her and rubbed her lower back gently. “Not to fret.”

A minute later Ben walked up to her with a wriggling baby in his arms. “I think this girl is hungry.”

Andy took her from him and moved to sit on the sofa. Elsa joined her and gave her a blanket to drape over her shoulder and the baby. Chris walked over to join the other men at the counter. 

“That’s good that she’s staying here with you mate.” Chris told him as he sat next to Michael. “The first few weeks are really hard. Make sure she sleeps as much as possible, and keep an eye on her emotions.”

“Postpartum?” Ben asked quietly. He looked from Chris to Tom, whose face had drained of color.

“It’s always a possibility, just be aware.” Chris told Tom reassuringly. 

An hour later Ben and Michael went out and bought enough thai food to feed an army. They opened all of the containers and got plates and silverware together for everyone to dish up. Andy was laying on the couch so Tom grabbed a plate to dish up some food for her. When he started to spoon up some garlic peas Michael put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“She doesn’t like peas, do the broccoli instead.” Michael said and pointed at the garlic and butter broccoli container. 

Tom gritted his teeth but did as he suggested. Michael placed some peanut chicken on the plate as well, while Tom spooned fried rice next to it. Ben and Chris watched the exchange in wary silence but relaxed when Tom took the plate over to his smiling woman on the sofa. They all lounged on the chairs and floor in the sitting room while they ate. When Michael finished eating, Andy handed Harper over to him. He laid flat on his back and put the little baby on his chest while she slept.

The group of friends all chatted about the different projects they were working on, and where they were headed to next. When it got dark outside they decided to let the new parents have the place to themselves so they got ready to go. Michael handed Harper over to Andy and kissed her and the baby on the tops of their heads.

“I’ll see you soon darling, ring if you need anything.” He told her and gathered up his jacket and helmet so he could leave.

Ben joined him once he said his goodbyes. Chris gathered up their things while Elsa joined Andy on the edge of the sofa.

“Sleep when she sleeps, drink more water than you think you need, and lots of iron. Call me day or night if you have even the tiniest of questions.” Elsa told her warmly.

“Come back to see us while you’re still in town. And bring that beautiful India Rose with you.” Tom told the two of them.

“Thank you for everything.” Andy said as the couple waved at them from the door.

Tom helped Andy to her feet and they trudged up the stairs. He rocked Harper while Andy changed for bed and then carefully placed her in the tiny bed at Andy’s bedside. He kissed his baby and then her mother’s cheek.

“I’m going to leave the doors open so I can hear if you need anything. Call out if you want anything from downstairs.” Tom told her as he walked slowly out of the room, feeling like he was leaving his heart there. 

“Goodnight Tom.” Andy called quietly.

“Goodnight my lovelies.”


	16. Chapter 16

Harper tended to sleep through most of the night. She usually only woke up around two in morning, screaming her tiny lungs out for a change and something to eat. By the time Tom was able to drowsily stumble in their bedroom Andy was already sitting up against the headboard with Harper in her arms. Harper was making little sucking noises and gasps while Andy had her eyes closed as she tried to rest. Tom turned and walked down the stairs, he poured a glass of water and brought it back up to his girl. He handed her the water and Andy gulped down half of it.

After a minute Tom walked around the bed and climbed in next to Andy. He wrapped his long fingers around the back of her neck. He slowly rubbed the knots and kinks with the pads of his fingers.

“Is it getting easier?” He asked her in a whisper.

“Breast feeding?”

“Well, I guess.” He blushed at the thought, “but I meant more about taking care of a baby in general.”

“It’s alright, some things are easier than I thought they would be.” She adjusted the pillow under her arm a bit. “I thought she would be up all night.”

Harper pulled her face away and started closing her eyes so Tom reached for his little girl and took the small cloth from Andy to put over his shoulder. While he was patting her back Andy adjusted her top.

“She’s needs to be changed.” Andy groaned out and held her arms to take the sleepy baby from Tom.

“I’ll do it. Stay in bed.” Tom said as he climbed out of the big bed with Harper in his arms. When he came back a few minutes later Andy was already asleep.

\---

“Luke is going to issue a statement this evening.” Tom told her as he held the squirming infant in his lap.

They were having a late lunch in the park, catching some of the last of the summer heat. Andy was on her back with her eyes closed but he knew she wasn’t sleeping. 

“What does it say?”

“That I have recently welcomed a baby girl into the world, we are very happy and to please respect our privacy.”

She turned her head to look up at him. “Not her name?”

“It’s none of their business.” He shrugged as he pressed kisses to Harper’s little fingers. 

“Alright.” She closed her eyes behind her sunglasses.

“How long are you off from work?”

“Three months.” She fumbled around for the plate of cheese when Tom quickly picked up a piece and put it to her lips so she could eat one. “My office has a really great day care center in the building.”

“What about a nanny?”

“I don’t know, there’s more of a risk letting someone into our personal life, especially with you as famous as you are.”

“I guess.”

“When do you have to leave next?” 

“About two weeks or so.” He raised Harper high in the air above his face as he watched his little girl smile at him. “Have you thought at all about coming with me?”

“To Louisiana?” 

“Yes ma’am” He drawled in a terrible southern accent.

“Let me think about it a little more, we would need to bring a lot of things with us.”

“Will you go out with me?” 

She didn’t open her eyes at this. “We are out, what do you mean?”

“Will you go on a date with me? Tonight?” He didn’t look at her, just fixed his eyes on the baby in his arms. “We could have Chris and Elsa watch Harper for us.”

“Tom, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Andy you wanted to wait until after the baby, so I waited.” He placed Harper gently on the blanket so he could focus on the woman who was now sitting up and looking at him.

“Is that why you’re asking? Because Harper is here, you have the two of us living with you, the next step is taking me out on a date?”

“No, of course not. Jesus Andy, why are you acting like this?” Tom frowned at her.

“We should go.” She started throwing everything into Tom’s backpack and her diaper bag.

“Stop it, just stop it.” Tom grabbed her wrists to keep her from packing up. She yanked away from him and burst into tears. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer, just buried her face in her hands so Tom pulled her into his arms. They sat like that for a few minutes, Andy’s face buried in Tom’s neck. He kept his eyes open so he could watch his baby girl sleeping on her blanket. After several agonizing minutes Andy pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. 

“Can we just go home?” She asked him with a sob and he couldn’t do anything but nod.

\---

That night after they had put Harper to bed the two of them sat at the table finishing up dinner. Andy ate slowly while Tom picked at his food with little energy. When Andy was done eating he stood up and took his plate and hers to the kitchen.

“I can do those.” Andy protested.

He didn’t say anything in response, just continued to put the food away. Andy walked to the counter and sat at one of the stools.

“Tom.” She waited until he paused and finally looked up at her. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded and then started washing the dishes. He rinsed them and placed them in the drying rack. He picked up the dish towel and dried his hands off, when he turned around Andy was still sitting and watching him.

“It’s fine Andy.” He told her with a sigh.

“Tom, you just keep surprising me. I didn’t react well.” Tom slammed his hands down on the counter and she jumped at the sound.

“Dammit Andy. I have been here every step of the way. As soon as I found you I never abandoned you, I’m doing everything in my power to be there for you and Harper!” Tom yelled the last sentence at her. “How long is it going to take you to trust me?”

His shouts echoed through the room. Suddenly they heard Harper’s cries coming from the baby monitor.

“Fuck.” Andy muttered and went to go attend to her baby.

Tom watched her walk up the stairs and he let out a deep breath. None of this was going any where near the way he had planned. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jameson and poured himself a drink. When he was finished he quickly washed the glass and added it to the other drying dishes, he turned around and saw Andy standing in the kitchen with him.

“Did she go back to sleep?” 

Andy nodded and then walked up to him. When she was close enough she raised herself up on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He jumped in surprise and then wrapped his arms around her. After a moment he slid one hand up to her cheek and then pushed his fingers into her hair. He pulled her head back gently and deepened the kiss. When she pulled back for a breath he moved his lips down her neck. 

“Andy, oh Andy.” He moaned out against her skin. He brought both of his hands to her face and kissed her again.

“Tom.” Andy sounded out of breath as she put her hands against his chest and pressed him gently back. “Tom this is serious. It isn’t just us anymore, we can’t play around like when we were younger. You understand?”

“I’m in this for the long run. I want you Andrea, I want this life with you.” He ran his fingers carefully through her hair. “Now,” he tilted her chin up with the tips of his fingers, “I have an important question to ask you.”

She looked at him in confusion.

“Will you go out with me tomorrow night?”

“Yes.” She breathed out and his face broke out into a wide grin.


	17. Chapter 17

“Why do you need a babysitter?” Chris asked Tom with a smirk.

“Leave it alone.” Elsa told him with a jab to his stomach. “We’d love to mi corazon.” She told Tom with a pat to his cheek.

“Hot date?” Chris pressed him.

Tom didn’t answer but he couldn’t hide the smile that slowly grew.

“Nice one mate. About time too.” He slapped him on the back.

“How is our little one?” Elsa asked him as she poured the three of them some water.

“She is beautiful. She looks so much like Sarah.” Tom showed them the photo he couldn’t resist taking this morning.

“Oh Tom, look at that face.” Elsa cooed.

“I had no idea that this is what I was waiting my whole life for.”

“Takes you by surprise right?” Chris asked him.

“You have no idea.”

\---

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Andy told them as she worried her thumb with her teeth. She was watching Elsa rock Harper as she swayed from side to side. India was currently running circles around her and Chris. She stopped suddenly and ran to Tom, she pulled at the fabric on his trousers and tried to climb him like a monkey.

“Hello little darling.” Tom said sweetly as he pulled India up into his arms before tossing her lightly into the air. India screamed in delight when he caught her. He swung her in big circles until she was giggling without stopping. He walked to the couch and dropped her down on the cushions before tickling her little belly.

Elsa walked over to the nervous woman and stopped in front of her. “Did you leave a few bottles?”

“Of course.” Andy told her uncertainly.

“Are there diapers and powder and the usual?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll be fine.” Elsa said as she patted her shoulder. “I have had one of these before. We’re going to have a little dinner, watch a movie...I think it’s ‘Frozen’ tonight, and then put these girls down for bed.”

“But she’s only a few weeks old, maybe it’s too soon.”

“It’s not too soon. I promise. It’s only going to be a few hours dear, it is going to be completely alright.” Elsa touched her cheek gently. “This will be good for you.” She looked over at Tom. “For the both of you.”

“Are you alright darling?” Tom asked her as he walked to the girls.

“I guess so.” She touched her hair nervously. “You’ll be alright? Call us if anything happens.”

“Get out of here. Once we put these two down Chris and I are going to have a wonderful snog fest.” Elsa said with a laugh.

Tom and Andy leaned down to kiss their little girl goodbye. They thanked Elsa and waved goodbye at Chris, who was currently in an arm wrestle with India, and headed out the door.

As they rode the lift down the two adults shifted uneasily.

“Are we doing the right thing?” Andy asked him while she bit her lip. Tom leaned over and pulled her lip out from between her teeth with his own teeth. He left another gentle kiss on her lips and pulled away.

“I can’t think of anyone more capable to watch over Harper. It’s going to be fine my darling.” He touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “Have I told you enough how amazing you look?”

They looked down at the black dress that was wrapped around her. It fell loosely to just above her knees and had a sweeping neckline that showed off her new breasts.

“You look pretty wonderful as well.” She told him as she touched the vest of his three piece suit. “Plus I still have my baby weight, you.”

“Mmmm...I can tell.” He growled softly as he brushed his fingers across the neckline of her dress.

“Easy tiger.” She pulled his hand away and held it in her own. He pulled her hand to his face and left a kiss on the center of her palm. They walked out to the curb and waited while their doorman hailed them a taxi.

When they walked into the restaurant Tom led her to their table with a large hand on the small of her back. The server started to reach for her chair but he waved him away so he could do it himself. When they were seated Tom couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman across the table, she met his look with a deep blush across her cheeks.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this nervous in my entire life.” Tom told her sincerely.

“Because we left Harper?” Andy started pulling her phone out of her bag. “You’re right, we should go back.”

“No, no, relax darling.” Tom pulled both of her hands into his. “I’m nervous because I am close to having everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“And what is that?”

“You.”

Andy blushed and turned her head to the side with a smile. “You’re laying it on quite thick.”

“I mean it, but I’m going to keep winning you over for as long as I need to.”

“And then what?”

“And then I’ll put everything into keeping you.” He gave her a wink and a devious smile. “That love, is a promise.”

She shook her head at him but couldn’t keep the smile from her mouth. They ordered and Tom chose a hearty bottle of red wine. They ate raw fish on crackers and a rich broth, when their main’s arrived they were both in giggles.

“It’s not my fault, I haven’t had a proper drink in ages.” Andy told him while she took a sip from her wine. “Actually you should know that, the last time I drank was with you.”

His face darkened at the thought of that night but he laughed and topped off her glass. “Alcohol or not, you’ve never been able to contain yourself. Remember that night our last year? You were terrified of some exam...history or politics or some shit. And then George brought over a bottle of vodka.”

“Oh Christ, don’t bring that night up.” Andy put her face in her hand.

“That was the night we learned how to tell when you’re pissed.” He told her with a laugh.

“What are you on about?”

“You make lists. Everything you talked about had either a number or a letter to organize it.” He put his hand over his mouth to keep the laughter in. “Then you fell off your chair.”

“I can’t believe you brought that up.” Andy told him as she laughed at the memory.

They ate their dinner and Tom had another bottle brought to them. They chatted about his new role and books for another hour. When it was time for dessert Tom checked with Andy before ordering a delicious sounding chocolate soufflé.

When they reached the front door Tom held Andy’s coat so she could slide it on, and then he pulled his on. They caught a taxi to their flat and Tom gripped Andy’s hand tightly the entire ride. During the lift ride Andy leaned heavily against Tom.

Tom pulled his keys out and opened the door to their flat to find Elsa sitting in Chris’ lap as they engaged in a deep kiss. Andy covered her mouth to hold back a giggle while Tom let the front door slam shut. The couple on the sofa jerked apart and gave them embarrassed smiles.

“How was your night?” Chris asked. Elsa tried to move off of his lap but he held her in place for a moment.

“It was grand. How was yours?” Tom asked as he crossed his arms.

“Uneventful. She’s a lamb, Tom.” Chris said as he finally allowed Elsa to move and the two of them rose to their feet. 

“Thank you so much. Both of you.” Andy said and she gave them each a kiss on the cheek before rushing up the stairs to see her baby.

“We should go.” Elsa said to Chris.

“How’d it go?” He asked Tom now that they were alone.

“Brilliant.” Tom told him with a grin. “We can do this.”

“That’s fantastic man. I’m really happy for you both.” Chris pulled him into a hug and then went upstairs to get his own little monster.

Andy was bent over the tiny cradle and watching Harper sleep when he walked into the room. He brushed his hand over her back and moved to her bed to gather up his sleeping toddler. When he had India wrapped around him he walked back over to look at Harper.

“Did you have a good time?” He whispered to Andy.

“I really did.” She smiled up at him and gently kissed India on the cheek. “Night Chris, thank you.”

He smiled at her and then left the room. She walked to her closet and changed into her pajamas. Walking back out she saw Tom leaning over their little girl in her cot. He looked up when she entered and gave her a soft smile.

“I just wanted to thank you for this evening and say goodnight.” He told her as he walked toward her. He slowly brought his hand to rest on the side of her face and he leaned down to press his lips gently against hers. “Goodnight.” He whispered against her lips.

He started to walk away but Andy pulled on his hand. “Will you stay?” She asked him in a small voice. “Will you stay with us?”

His voice caught in his throat so he nodded at her and left to go change. When he pulled his pajamas on he rushed back into the bedroom. Andy was already in bed on the side closest to their baby so he walked around to slide in next to her. He leaned over and gently brushed his fingers across the top of Harper’s head and then rolled back to his side of the bed. He laid there alone until Andy pulled his arm to fit around her stomach and pull him flush against her back.

“Oh my darling. I’ve missed you so much.” He murmured into her hair.

“I’ve missed you too.”

\---

In the middle of the night Harper woke the couple with her shrill screams. And rolled over in her sleep and started to get out of the bed. Before she could sit up a long arm pulled her back to the mattress.

“Where are you going?” Tom grumbled at her.

“Her bottle is downstairs, I need to fix it.” 

“Lay down, I’ll get it.” Tom told her as he pressed her back down into the pillows. When he reached the other side of the bed he picked his baby up and placed her gently into Andy’s arms. He kissed them both and then skipped down the stairs.

A few minutes later Tom reappeared with a warm bottle of milk to feed his little girl. He climbed into bed next to Andy and pulled the squirming infant into his arms. When he put the nipple to her lips and she started sucking in earnest he gave Andy a relieved smile.

“Does she always look up at you when you feed her?” 

“Most times. It’s one of my favorite moments with her.” Andy said with a smile.

“I can’t believe it. What is she thinking while she’s looking up at me.” He rubbed her chubby cheek with his thumb. “Does she recognize me?”

“She does, you know she does. When you comfort her when she cries she stops.” Andy scratched her nails gently through his hair. “She knows you from all the time she heard you speak to her. She knows you.”

“She looks like Sarah when she was a baby. I’ll have to show you a picture soon.” Tom couldn’t take his eyes of the little beauty whose eyes were currently locked on his. “Oh Andy she is so perfect.”

He looked down to see that his girl had fallen back asleep. He smiled and waited as Harper finished her bottle and then carried her downstairs with him. He put the tiny bottle in the sink and then put a cloth over his shoulder so he could burp his little baby. When they were done he took her upstairs to change her and then he settled her back in her bed.

He slid carefully into the bed, next to Andy, and pulled the covers over his waist. When he was almost asleep Andy pushed herself up against his side and rested her head up on his shoulder.


	18. Chapter 18

Harper woke them up at seven in the morning. She didn’t wake them gently by cooing and gurgling like she normally did; she started out screaming.

“Hello you.” Andy said gently as she swayed her back and forth. “It’s alright little one, Daddy’s gone to get something for you to eat. Oh...yes...I know my love.” When Tom came into the room she handed her baby over to him.

As soon as Harper started drinking from the bottle her cries stopped. “There you go you little chubber. Who’s Daddy’s little girl, eh?” He was answered with sucking noises broken up by grunts. “You are, you’re my little darling, aren’t you?”

Andy pulled herself up from the bed and yanked her robe on. When she started to walk out Tom stopped her.

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t feed her what I have now. I’ve got to get rid of the alcohol in my system.” She told him as she blushed. 

He walked down to join her in the sitting room. She was using her breast pump and trying to sleep at the same time. He sat down by her side and she jolted in shock and tried to cover herself up.

“Relax darling, I’ve seen you like this before you know.”

“But that’s with Harper, not like…” She waved her hand at the small device and then pulled her robe over her front.

“I’m sorry, would you like me to leave?”

“No, I’m sorry.” She pushed the hair from her face with her free hand. “You know they say that after you have a baby you won't be embarrassed by anything.”

“That was one of the worst and best 24 hours of my life.” Tom told her as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Was it?”

“It made me sick to see you hurting like that for so long. And when you sort of...collapsed...I didn’t know what to do. Michael sort of carried me into the waiting room.”

Andy covered her mouth in surprise, she hadn’t heard this story.

“You were bleeding and it was all over me so Chris got me a scrub shirt to change into.” He nervously ran his hand through his hair. “Christ, my mother had to change me, I couldn’t see straight.”

Andy quietly stopped the breast pump and set her shirt straight while she listened.

“And then the doctor said you were fine and I could...I could see the baby if I wanted.” He looked at her with his eyes full of emotion. “And then there was this tiny little pink bundle with my name on it. I’ve never felt like such a man until that moment.”

“Oh Tom.” She whispered and crawled into his lap. He wrapped his long arms around her and held her closely to his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said into her hair and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Just don’t do that to me next time.”

He felt her stiffen in surprise and when he pulled away to look at her she pushed face against his chest.

“You don’t want to have another?” He asked.

“I honestly haven’t thought about it. I wasn’t planning on Harper, let alone another one.”

“Well it has only been a few weeks, it might be a touch early to be planning the next one.” Tom told her with a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Emma will be here this afternoon, would you like to go out to lunch?”

“That will be nice.” She said as Tom gave her another kiss and then went upstairs to gather up Harper.

\---

When they met Emma at a restaurant nearby she ran to Andy. She squeezed her tightly and then turned to see the little baby in Tom’s arms. She pulled Harper from Tom and held her against her chest.

“Oh my goodness. Look at you, you are so beautiful.” She pressed her finger down the side of the baby’s face and smiled when her big blue eyes opened to look at her. “I’m your auntie Emma and I am going to be your favorite auntie in the whole world. Just you wait my love.”

Tom held the baby carrier in one hand while he ushered the women into the restaurant. When they were seated Emma finally handed the baby over to Tom so he could settle her into the blankets. When he looked up Emma was glaring at him with her arms folded across her chest; he jerked back in shock and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“You are lucky that we’re in public or I would have to slap you. I can’t believe you did that Tom, how dare you.” She told him in a low, dangerous voice.

“Emma, please leave it.” Andy told her quietly with a hand on her arm.

“Andy it’s alright.” He told her gently. “Emma, I fucked up, I’m sorry. I’ve apologized to Andy and done everything in my power to prove myself to her. I made a mistake, and now I have to live with how I handled everything in the beginning but I don’t want that to define our relationship from now on.”

Emma just scoffed and rolled her eyes at her older brother.

“Do you understand? Andy has forgiven me, and now we have this little family to take care of.” Tom pressed on. “If you don’t like it you don’t need to come here.”

Andy jumped up quickly and slid her diaper bag over her shoulder. She rushed to Tom’s side and scooped Harper up into her arms. “I think I better change her before she starts fussing. Back in a tic.” And she hurried back to the restrooms.

Tom was on his feet as he watched her hurry away. Then he slowly sat back down across from Emma.

They glared at each other for a moment and then Tom rubbed his hand through his hair. Emma avoided his gaze as she took a sip of her water.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. I just can’t lose what I have with Andy and Harper.” He told her in a deep voice.

“I’m sorry I said I wanted to slap you.” She said with a shrug. “I was really hurt that you treated one of my greatest friends so badly that she left me and everything she knew. I lost my friend and all I had done was leave her alone with you.”

“She is an adult, she made her decision herself.” He pressed, and then his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry Emma, I didn’t think about how her absence had affected you. Will you forgive me?”

“I never stay mad at you for long, do I?” She told him with a shy smile.

“That’s because I am your favorite brother.” He said with a grin. Than he stood and pulled her to her feet so they could hug. “Will you do me a favor and go tell Andy it’s safe to come out?”

“Be right back.”

A few minutes later all of his girls came back into his sight. He jumped to his feet and reached for Harper to place her back in her carrier. Andy sat down warily as she looked at the siblings.

“Alright now?”

“I had a bit more apologizing to do,” Tom explained as he reached across the table for Andy’s hand. “Let’s eat, shall we?”

They ate egg sandwiches with tomato and thick slices of ham. When Harper started fussing Emma took her and rocked her back to a gentle nap. She tried to keep up with the conversation but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of the beautiful little baby she held in her arms. She rocked and cooed at the little girl as Tom and Andy talked between themselves so she could have a moment with her new niece. After lunch they gathered up their belongings.

“We can go to the park tomorrow, or go shopping a bit?” Andy asked Emma.

“I actually was thinking about going to a few of the museums and then coming by for dinner at your place? I’ll be here for a little bit so you don’t have to entertain me every day that I’m here.”

“Nonsense.” Tom told her with a scoff.

“Well then at least promise that you and I can have some time, just the two of us?” Emma asked Andy with a hopeful voice.

“I’m not sure that-” Andy started to say as Tom interrupted.

“Of course she will.” He placed a kiss to Andy’s forehead. “It’ll be alright, love. Maybe Harper and I will go visit Chris and Elsa.”

“Right, of course.” She agreed but the worry line on her forehead stayed in place. “Also the next time you’re here, you’ll stay will us. We haven’t got the guest room set up yet but that will be very soon.”

“I can’t wait. I love it here.” Emma kissed them both and the baby and then headed off on her own errands.


	19. Chapter 19

A few days later Emma dragged a worried Andy out of their front door.

“If you need more milk, there’s some extra in the freezer.” Andy called out as Emma pulled on her hand. “There’s plenty blankets and clean bottles. All of the doctor’s numbers are-”

Tom cut her off with a hard kiss to her lips. “It’s going to be fine, Love. Go have some fun.” He smiled at her and kissed the wrinkle between her brows. Andy gave him a smile and then kissed the baby in his arms.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Call if anything happens.” She told him with her hand on his face.

“I swear it.” He shifted Harper to rest on his chest and then jerked his chin towards the door, “go.”

With a final look at her boyfriend holding their little girl, she and Emma left.

Tom walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He found the clicker and switched on the television, when he found an old Graham Norton episode on BBC he stopped. Just as he was starting to pay attention to the interview, Harper started fussing and wriggling around.

“Alright, alright.” He stood up and went into the kitchen to prepare her bottle. While they waited for it to heat up he danced back and forth, singing to his little girl. This appeared to have absolutely no affect as she continued to cry her little heart out. Finally the milk was warmed and as soon as the nipple was in her mouth quiet rang in his ears. 

“There we are.” Tom cooed at her as she opened and closed her fingers in the air. “My little princess. You are so beautiful. You’re going to have your mother’s big grey eyes, and beautiful curls.”

He walked over to the windows so he could see her better in the sunlight. Harper sucked loudly and never took her eyes off of her father’s. When the bottle was empty, Tom patted her gently and then walked over to the rug and sat down. He put her blanket down and placed her carefully on her belly, she pulled her legs up under her and sucked her thumb into her mouth. He rolled onto his stomach as well and just looked at his little girl.

\---

Across town Emma and Andy were trying on piles of clothes. Andy pulled on a pair of tight jeans and when she had the zip and the button fastened she turned to examine herself in the mirror.

“I can’t remember the last time I wore something that didn’t have an elastic waistband.” She groaned out to Emma. 

Emma walked out of her dressing room wearing a flowery sundress. She turned around so Andy could fix the ties in the back. When she turned around and looked at the jeans she was wearing she rose her eyebrows.

“Holy shit Andy!” She said with a laugh. “Those are fantastic, you look amazing. I hope to God that I look like that after I have a baby.”

“Shut it.” She replied and pushed on her tummy with a frown.

“Buy them immediately and stop that.” She swatted at her hand and then looked at her own outfit. “Mmmm...I’m not sure I like this color.”

“Maybe find a brighter color, that always looks amazing with your hair.” The girls went back into their rooms to finish choosing through their clothes. 

An hour later they decided that they needed caffeine in order to finish their shopping so they went in search of a café.

\---

When Elsa finally picked up her mobile Tom was in a complete panic. “Elsa!” He yelled out, “I need your help.”

“Tom? What’s going on? Is that Harper? Is she alright?” Elsa could hear Harper screaming and crying in the background.

“Andy went out with Emma for the afternoon so I’m here with Harper.” He bounced the little baby in his arms and held the mobile between his ear and shoulder. “I’ve fed her, changed her and she won’t stop crying. What do I do?”

Elsa tried not to laugh at his hysterics. “Tom, relax. Baby’s cry, she probably just wants to cry. Plus she’s not used to being without Andy.”

“What do I do? I can’t stand to just let her be like this.”

“Open a window and see if the fresh air will shock her. Then give her a warm bath, something to relax her.” 

“Right, thanks.” He told her distractedly and just as he went to end the call he heard her call his name. “What was that?”

“Do you want me to come over?”

“Not just yet, I think I can handle this. Thanks Elsa.” He ended the call and looked down at the screaming baby in his arms. “We can do this right?” 

First he went into the study and walked them both out onto the balcony. As they stood in the cool wind Harper took a sharp breath at the sudden change. Tom watched as she squinted her eyes and took big breaths, but didn’t cry. He brushed his thumb over her cheeks and rubbed away the leftover tears. 

“There we are my love.” He rocked the both of them from side to side. “Its alright now, everything is okay.”

After a few minutes he went back inside, closing the doors behind him. Then he walked up the stairs and into the master bathroom. He clicked the shower on and went back to lay Harper on the bed while he stripped down to his pants. He took her nappy off and put it in the trash, then he held her to his chest and stepped into the warm water. 

The water trickled over their heads and he carefully brushed the streams away from her eyes. She blinked and sucked in big breaths while her arms flailed about. He rubbed a big hand up and down her bare back.

“Is that better baby? Did you just feel like crying?” He spoke soothingly to her as he swayed them slowly. “Do you miss Mummy? Is that it? I miss her too, but we’re doing alright. Aren’t we? A nice shower always relaxes me, looks like its working for you too.”

He laughed when she stuck her tongue out and hummed. “You’re my little water baby aren’t you?”

He didn’t have her soap in with them but he wet a flannel and brushed the fabric slowly over her arms and legs, careful to avoid her new little belly button. When he gently rubbed her little fingers she let a squeal and then sneezed in his face. 

He chuckled and raised his face up to the water to rinse off. “Thank you for that darling.” She giggled at him and hit him on his chin. “Oh, you think you’re funny do you? Put me in a panic and now you’re having the time of your life.”

He dropped the cloth and brushed her hair with his fingers. Harper scrunched her fingers into little fists and hit his chest a few times while she kicked her legs out. She laughed and he joined in. The next time she hit his chest she curled her fingers into the hair there and gave it a sharp pull. He hissed at the sudden sting and tried to carefully untangle her hand. As soon as he pulled her arm away her other hand wrapped tightly around the curly hair in the center of his chest. 

“Oh you’re a clever one, aren’t you?” He gave up and let her pull to her to her heart’s content He clenched his teeth at the slight pain and chuckled. “My clever little water baby. You are going to have everything you ever want. You’re going to be so beautiful and incredibly smart. And if you have half of your mother’s wit you are going to be a force to be reckoned with. My perfect Harper Ophelia.”

\---

It was early evening when the girls came in the front door. They were both weighed down shopping bags but they were giggling like mad. They dropped everything by the door and Andy walked into the kitchen to find something to drink.

Emma came walking quickly to join her and she had a huge grin on her face. “Andy you have got to see this.” She pulled out her mobile and disappeared back into the living room.

When Andy walked in behind her she covered her mouth with her hand. Tom was laying on the sofa in a pair of pajama pants, with a bare chest and bare feet. On his chest lay their little girl in nothing but her nappy. She was curled up on her belly with her thumb in her mouth. Tom’s big hand was resting on her back as the two of them slept.

Emma took a few pictures and sent them to her sister and her mother. She looked back at Andy and the new mom had tears shining in her eyes. She walked over and wrapped her arms around her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“I had such a great time today. I’ll call you later, yes?” Emma told her in a whisper and then headed back towards their front door. 

Andy sat down slowly in one of the chairs and marveled at the sight before her. She didn’t say anything, just smiled to herself as she watched father and daughter napping together.


	20. Chapter 20

The flight to Louisiana was difficult, to say the least. Most of the bigger items had been shipped over already but they did need to bring some of the lighter things along with them. Tom had always been accustomed to throwing a few changes of clothes into a bag and taking off. Now he had to get his stuff together as well as Harper’s and her diaper bag and her toys. Andy had packed quickly but she had spent a lot of time wondering which things they needed to bring with them for their little girl.

When it was all said and done they had roughly four suitcases between them, besides their carry-ons. They walked through the airport with a bit of press but not as many as London or Los Angeles. Tom had his and Andy’s bags over his shoulder while he held Harper closely to his chest, one hand on her back and the other was holding her head to avoid too many pictures being taken of her face. Andy was carrying the diaper bag and holding on to Tom’s arm as he parted the sea of people.

When they were finally settled into their seats in first class the new parents were exhausted. Harper appeared to have been unfazed by any of the excitement and was now snoring quietly in Tom’s arms. Tom looked over to see Andy covering her eyes with her hand as she rested her head against the back of the chair.

“Changing your mind darling?” He asked jokingly, but in the back of his mind he hoped she hadn’t been too overwhelmed by the publicity.

She lowered her hand and turned to look at him with a tired smile. “Just a lot to take in.”

He nodded sympathetically and then looked around for the flight attendant. When he approached them he asked for champagne as soon as possible. Andy raised her eyebrow at him but didn’t argue when he pressed the flute into her hands. 

The flight wasn’t too eventful, Harper had cried when they first took off but once her ears adjusted she was a bit calmer. Tom walked her up and down the tiny compartment and rocked her to sleep whenever she woke up. Andy couldn’t have been more grateful for the caring man she shared her daughter with.

When they arrived on the doorstep of the small house they would be living in for the next few weeks, they were ready for a shower and some sleep. Walking through the rooms it appeared that someone had already unpacked Harper’s things and set everything up. Andy placed the baby gently into her bed and then headed for the shower. When she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself she could hear Tom talking to someone at the front door. She got dressed quickly, grabbed one of the baby monitors and joined him out in the kitchen.

“Was someone here?” She asked him.

“Delivery man.” He told her with a smile and he kept pulling their food out of the plastic bags they were delivered in.

She ignored the food and walked up to him. When he turned to look at her in confusion she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her mouth against his. When he didn’t protest, she pushed her body against his as she sucked his tongue into her mouth.

“You’re too polite around me. I want you.” She moaned as she bit his neck and rubbed herself up against him. “Please Tom.”

He straightened his legs to keep his knees from buckling and wrapped his arms around his woman. “My darling. You’re exhausted, you need some food and sleep.”

At his words Andy straightened and pulled away from him. “Christ. I don’t know what came over me, it won’t happen again.” Her face turned bright red and she hurried to her room. Before Tom could follow her she had closed the door behind her and he heard the sound of the lock being turned.

Tom sighed and tried to relax his body. He wanted Andy more than he could think, but he couldn’t dare take advantage of her exhaustion. When the two of them made love it would be when they were both of sound judgment. He glanced at the food on the counter and realized that he couldn’t find the appetite to consume any of it.

He placed the other food containers in the refrigerator and dragged his bag to the second bedroom. He threw himself onto the bed and slapped his hand to his forehead. What kind of man would refuse a woman like he had? Andy was finally starting to open up to him and he had thrown it back in her face. He needed to find a way to show her that when they came together, it would truly mean something.

Andy had spent the night in a fitful sleep. When Harper woke up she had fed and changed her herself. That morning she awoke to a fussy baby that she attended to. As soon as Harper was settled and giggling happily on her own she gathered her up into her arms and left the room. When she walked into the kitchen she saw Tom sitting at the table with the newspaper and a mug of tea in his hands. She placed the baby in her highchair and set about fixing herself something to eat, she dug through the refrigerator and found some of the leftovers from the night before. While she waited for them to heat up Tom walked over to lean on the counter across from her.

“Listen, Andy about-” He started to say.

“I’m sorry. I thought there was something more between us but I was mistaken.” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked anywhere but at him. “I would appreciate it if we could act like nothing happened.”

“But I want to say-”

“Please Tom.”

He let out a frustrated huff and nodded his agreement. “Whatever you’d like.” He muttered.

She gave him a weak smile and pulled her plate from the microwave. She sat down at the table and picked at the food. 

Tom stayed in the kitchen and stared at the back of her head. How was he going to get her to open back up? They had been doing so well, and now they were back at the beginning, all over again. 

\---

When Tom came back to the house that evening he was wearing a dark, three piece suit and had a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Andy looked at him without showing any emotion, but she took the flowers from him.

“Who are these for?” She asked him in a monotone voice.

“For you of course, my love.” He watched her prepare the flowers and put them in a vase she found in one of the cupboards.

“Where are you off to?” She asked as she waited for the water to fill the glass container. “You’re awfully dressed up.”

“I was hoping you’d go to dinner with me.”

“It’s alright Tom. You don’t owe me anything, plus I don’t have a sitter.”

“A friend of mine’s daughter has the night off and she babysits quite frequently. She will be here in about an hour.”

“I’m really not up for anything.” She sounded utterly depressed and not at all excited to be spending any time with him.

“Please?” He took her hand and pulled her into her room. He searched her closet and came out with a beautiful blue dress that she had pressed near the back. “Come on love. Let’s go have good food, listen to some great music and just have a nice time.” 

She worried her lower lip between her teeth and looked down at her hands. Tom tossed the dress on the bed and moved to stand in front of her. He brushed his thumb over her lip until it was pulled free and he bent down to place a firm kiss on her mouth.

“Please, my love?” 

“Get out.” He looked at her in shock at her answer until she gave him a smile. “Someone needs to watch Harper while I get ready.” She turned him to the door and gave him a firm shove in the right direction.

\---

“All of our numbers are on that list. If anything happens, or you have any questions, or just want to talk about something please call me.” Andy told the sweet faced woman, Jessie, as they were gathering up their things to leave. 

Tom held her coat so she could slip her arms into the sleeves as she continued to talk nervously to Jessie. “We haven’t really left Harper with someone else. Andy’s just nervous, aren’t you darling.” He looked over her shoulder and then kissed her temple. “We’ll be back around midnight or so, but she should be asleep by then.” Tom explained as he pulled Andy to the front door.

“Midnight?” She asked him incredulously. “Nine, tops.” 

As she was stepping out onto the porch Tom looked at Jessie over his shoulder and mouthed the word “midnight” at the girl who was now trying to hold back her giggles.

They drove for a few minutes until they reached a little restaurant alongside some sort of river. They found a table and looked around at the people dancing. Tom took his suit jacket off and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. A woman in a little sundress came to their table and took their orders.

“Y’all drinking tonight?”

“Absolutely.” Tom told her with a grin, then he ordered a hurricane with an extra shot in it and a beer. He nodded at the woman for her to leave before Andy had a chance to order anything herself.

“What was that?” She gave him a slight frown.

“Let me take over tonight.” He pulled her hand between both of his and kissed her knuckles. “Let me show you a good time? Yes?”

Her shoulders slumped a bit and she gave him a questioning look but nodded in agreement. The waitress came back and placed both of their drinks on the table in plastic cups. Tom asked for some catfish nuggets, pulled pork and fries, so she went off to place their order.

He took the pink drink and slid it over to sit in front of the beautiful woman across the table. She looked up at him with her eyebrows raised but she took a sip of the strange drink; she swallowed the sweet concoction and gave him a smile at her astonishment.

“Well?”

“Want to taste?” She asked him as she held the cup for him to take. He took a swig and then joined her smile. “How did you find this place?”

“I know a few people.” He took a drink of his beer and winked at her over his cup. “I believe this is called ‘the bayou’ and the music is supposed to be phenomenal.”

“You are full of surprises.”

“You have no idea.” He said with a deep voice.

They listened to the band and watched the couples pushing each other about on the little dance floor. When the woman returned she had a few plates in her arms that she piled onto the little table between them. Tom picked at the catfish and stole pieces of the pork in front of Andy. She laughed at him and tried to catch his wandering fingers with the tip of her fork, but he was either too fast for her or he distracted her with his leg against hers.

When they were both full of food and Andy had finished almost three hurricanes, Tom pulled her out to the floor with all the other couples. He pulled her to his chest and then pushed her away while he held onto both her hands. They danced and laughed for what seemed like hours. Finally she staggered her way back to their table and threw herself into her chair. When Tom joined her he had another drink in his hand that he placed in front of her and he lowered himself into his own seat.

“I don’t think I have seen anything sexier than you out on that floor.” He told her.

“I always love to dance when I’m drunk.” Andy told him as she giggled and tried to hold her cup steady. “This is all your fault.”

“Are you having fun?”

“I can’t remember the last time I was this ridiculous. I’m having an amazing time.” She finished off her drink and Tom yanked her to her feet to pull her to the dance floor.

An hour later Tom had to wrangle an extremely drunk Andy to their car. She shook her hips and waved her arms above her head as she laughed and sang the last few verses of the song they had just left to. When they reached their vehicle he kept a tight grip on her hand as he opened the passenger door, he pushed her into the car and carefully closed the door on her. He jogged to the drivers side and slid into the seat.

When he had turned on the engine, Andy reached over and turned the stereo up to a high volume. She sang along and tried her best to get at least some of the words correctly while Tom egged her on. By the time they reached the house she was fast asleep and snoring gently into the collar of her coat.

He put the car into park and walked into the house. He found Jessie watching a movie on the couch and Harper asleep in her little bed next to her. 

“Everything alright?” He asked her quietly.

“No problems. She cried a bit but we got along quickly enough.” She replied as she put her things in her bag so she could leave. “Where’s Mrs. Hiddleston?”

“She’s-” He paused for a moment as the name made his chest swell. “She fell asleep on the way back. Here you go, love.” He dug some bills out of his wallet and handed them to the girl.

When Jessie walked out he followed and went to the side of his car. “Goodnight, thank you so much.” He call out after her and then he pulled the passenger door open. He leaned over and undid Andy’s safety belt and then pulled her up into his arms.

“Where’s Harper? Is she alright?” She asked in a sleepy and slurry voice.

“She’s fine my love.” He walked through the front door and closed it behind him. “Let’s go to bed, shall we?”

He glanced at his sleeping daughter as they walked through the room and then he placed Andy on top of the bed. He pulled her shoes off of her feet, removed all of her jewelry, and carefully pulled the pins from her hair. As he pulled the blankets over her she let out a soft moan as she got comfortable.

“Oh Tom, I love you.” She mumbled into her pillow.

Tom’s heart clenched at this but he tried to remind himself that she was not in her right mind. “Goodnight my love.” He kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

When he went into the living room he gently carried Harper’s tiny bed into the second bedroom. He changed into his sleep pants and settled himself onto the bed. He looked at the sleeping baby and rubbed his hands over his face.

“I’m making your mother fall in love with me.” He whispered to his tiny little daughter.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning Andy could barely open her eyes. She groaned as her head pounded and her eyes seemed unable to remain open. Suddenly she remembered her baby and she sat up with a cry, when she looked around and didn’t see Harper she jumped out of her bed. She ran out to the living room and leaned against the wall when she saw Tom rocking their little girl in his arms.

“How are you this morning?” He asked her in a much too bright tone of voice.

“Did she eat?” She croaked out, saying as little as possible.

“Yes. Everything’s under control.” 

“Right.” She told him and she turned around and headed right back into her room. She laid on the bed with her face in the pillow. The room seemed to spin and she tried to hold back the feeling of nausea. When she lost the fight she ran to the bathroom and threw herself in front of the toilet as she emptied the contents of her stomach. She wasn’t there for long until she felt long fingers pulling her hair off of her face.

“Oh my love.” Tom told her soothingly as he reached for a hair band from the counter so he could tie her hair back and out of the way. He went to get a cloth and when he wet it he placed the cool material against the back of her neck. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to run you a cool shower and then put you right back in bed.”

She didn’t answer, only let him pull her to her feet. He turned the water on and when it was at a cool but comfortable temperature he turned to look at the pale woman at his side. When she didn’t make any moves he turned her so he could pull the zip on her dress. He carefully slid the dress off of her shoulders and then down her body. He tried not to look too carefully as the blue fabric bunched on her hips before he pulled it off. He helped her under the water stream and then left the room, but kept the door open.

Harper was mumbling to herself as she looked up at the ceiling so he went back to check on his woman. Andy was outside of the shower by now and had wrapped a towel around her body. Tom pulled her out of the room but she pulled against him. 

“Tom, I’m fine. It’s just a hangover for Christ sake.” She pushed past him and laid down on her bed.

When she woke back up the sun was high in the sky, she knew because of the way her room was flooded in light. She sat up with a jerk and looked around her, she was naked under her sheet and her head was pounding. She leaned over and emptied the glass of water that was on her nightstand. Finally she stood up and threw some clothes on while pushing her hair out of her face, when she got to the living room she saw that the house was empty. Looking around a bit more she saw Tom out in the backyard so she moved to join him outside. 

The house they had found actually had a small pool in the fenced yard and Tom appeared to be taking advantage of the amenity. He was in a pair of shorts and holding Harper above the water so she could kick her chubby legs in the cool liquid. Harper was squealing as she waved her arms around and stuck her tongue out of her mouth.

Andy held back her laughter and slid to the ground so she could dangle her legs in the water. Tom felt the water move around his chest and turned to see his woman across the way. Before he could turn his attention back to the squirming baby, Harper yanked her arm and hit him square in the chin.

“Oof,” he shook his head at the blow and then joined in his daughter’s laughter. “You have quite the right hook, princess.” He walked over to join Andy and held up their slippery baby for her take into her arms.

“Hello you. I’ve missed you, are you having fun out here with Daddy?” She asked her and Harper kicked out her legs in response. “Alright, alright, back to the water with you.”

She handed their daughter over for Tom to take into his big hands. He held her to his chest and looked up at Andy.

“How are you now?” 

“Much better, I’m sorry I was crabby earlier.”

“Don’t think on it, go put on a suit and join us.” He jutted his chin back towards the house and she stood to hurry up and change.

She brought a few towels and then eased herself down into the cool water. When she walked over to her little family Tom turned Harper away from himself so she was facing Andy. They watched as she kicked the water and screamed in joy at the water that splashed onto the three of them. Their little baby seemed terribly happy with sticking her tongue out and spitting bubbles as much as possible.

“She’s our little water baby.” Tom murmured against Harper’s temple. “She loves the water, look at her.”

Andy pushed her fingers into her little fists and laughed when Harper gave her a tight squeeze, Tom’s hands seemed to cover her little chest and belly almost entirely. Andy realized that she never felt more at ease than when she saw her daughter in Tom’s strong arms. She pushed forward and kissed her baby’s cheeks and then her boyfriend’s lips.

“This is wonderful Tom.” He grinned down at her and she placed her cheek on the side of his. “I’m so happy to be here with you.”

Tom wanted to wrap his arms around her but he was busy with his wriggling little one so he turned and kissed her temple. They stood together for a few minutes until Andy mentioned that they should get Harper dry before she got too cold. She took the baby and together they walked out of the pool and to a lounge chair where their towels were sitting. She grabbed an oversized, fluffy towel and wrapped her little girl until all you could see was her little eyes and nose.

As she rubbed her hands over Harper’s terry cloth covered back, Tom came up and sat down behind her. He spread his legs on either side of her body and rested his hands on the tops of her bare thighs. They watched as Harper’s little mouth opened into a yawn and her blinks began to last longer and longer. Just as she started to fall asleep Tom stood up and took their baby into the house. 

After putting a fresh nappy on her and placing her gently in her little cot he set up the baby monitors and brought two of them back outside with him. He placed one radio on either side of the pool and walked over to where Andy was laying on the chair. He knelt by her side and placed gently kisses across the scar that cut across her middle. Andy didn’t open her eyes but she ran her fingers through his damp curls.

“Does it hurt anymore?” He whispered against her skin.

“It get’s tight sometimes but if I rub it, the scar tissues tends to loosen a bit.”

“This may be my favorite thing about your body. This allowed me to have everything; a little baby…” He rested his chin on her ribcage and looked up at her face, “and you.”

“Oh Tom.” She brushed her fingers over the edge of his cheek bone.

He moved in towards her while staring at her lips and licking his own, just as she parted her own lips; he yanked her up into his arms and dropped her into the pool. He jumped in after her and was laughing by the time she broke through the surface, taking shocked breaths.

“You utter bastard.” She sucked in a deep breath and splashed water at Tom’s face. “I can’t believe you did that!” She shrieked and moved to swim away from the man who was laughing at her antics.

Before she could get too far from him he reached out and pulled her foot so she was yanked back into his chest. He ran his hands down her sides and kissed his way down her neck until he reached the top of her shoulder. He slid his right hand over her thigh and crept his fingers around until he had a firm hold, then he took his left hand and spread his fingers as far as he could reach across her newly flat stomach. He pulled her closer to him and moaned in her ear when her ass was pressed tightly against his waist. 

He pulled her earlobe into his mouth and gave it a bite before soothing it with his lips and tongue. “Do you still think that I don’t want you?”

“Tom what do you want from me?”

“I want everything. You know I do.” He towed her into the deeper water and she let her lower half float while she had her arms wrapped around his neck. He slid his left hand higher up her stomach until his thumb was pressed between the swell of her breasts. “You said I was too polite around you, so now we’re going to do things on my terms.”

“I haven’t been able to touch you this way in a very, very long time.” He dragged his right hand up and down her thigh. “I intend to take my time with you.” 

He pushed her up against the wall of the pool and pressed himself against her front. When she had her eyes fixed on his he brought his mouth down to cover hers. He sucked her bottom lip between his lips with a strong pull until he heard her gasp, then he pulled away enough to rub his nose against hers.

“You are mine Andrea.” He told her as he looked into her eyes. “Mine.”

They kissed and touched each other for a long time, never seeming to get enough. By the time their fingers started to prune they heard Harper mumbling nonsense through the radio. They climbed out, wrapped themselves in the towels and headed inside to see to their little girl.


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning Tom settled Harper into her tiny car seat and then sat himself into the passenger seat.

“You don’t need to drive me, love.” He told her as he fastened his seatbelt so she could pull onto the street. “The studio will send a car if I ask.”

“I have some things I need to do and I might as well get an early start.” She pulled onto the highway and started the short drive to the set he would be working at. She looked over at Tom who was drinking deeply from his cup of coffee and then he turned to watch his little girl’s hands flail about above her head. “We look just like a normal family, mother taking father to work before she heads to the grocery.”

“We are a normal family.” He said adamantly. He pulled her hand into his and started his kisses at her knuckles and continued to move up to her elbow until she giggled and pulled away.

They left the highway and took smaller streets until they neared the filming location. 

“Turn there...right, just let me out here and I’ll see later.” He gave her a grin and jumped out of the car to head towards whatever handler was waiting for him.

Andy sat and watched him for a moment until a scream from her back seat woke her up. “Alright darling. Let’s go shopping, shall we?”

She found a grocer near their house and pulled Harper out of her seat so she could settle her on her blanket in the front of her buggy. They walked through the store as Andy slowly chose the necessary ingredients for them to live on for the next week or so. It was a bit odd to not shop every few days, but she tried to stock up as best she could. Harper seemed to want something to distract her, so instead of digging one of her toys out of her bag she rubbed a bell pepper clean on her shirt and handed it over for her baby to chew to her delight.

When they were done shopping she pushed the cart out to their rented car, as she reached the parking lot she frowned when she saw several photographers on the edge of the property taking their picture. Andy took Harper out of the front of the cart and held her closely to her chest so they couldn’t see her face and pushed the cart as quickly as she could to their car. She tucked her baby into her seat and draped a blanket over the entire contraption before she went to the back of the car so she could load her groceries.

She drove around for over an hour, no one was following her but she was terrified of someone discovering where she was living. When Harper’s cries turned to screams she was forced to take the two of them back to their house. She pulled into the driveway and was able to empty the car without any problems from the paparazzi she had seen earlier. 

She fed Harper some lunch and fixed herself a quick sandwich while she checked her phone for new messages. She called Tom’s cell and left a message for him when he didn’t answer.

“It’s me. I just wanted to let you know that there was some people who took pictures of Harper and I at the grocery. I don’t think they followed us home. Right, well, I’ll talk to you later.”

When Tom got home that evening Harper was already down for the night and Andy was wrapped in a blanket in a corner of the couch. He placed his bag down by the door and kicked his shoes off before walking over to join her. If she felt the cushions adjust when he lowered himself next to her she didn’t acknowledge it; simply continued to watch whatever show was on the television.

“Are you alright?” He murmured into her hair. She didn’t answer, just nodded. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m sorry that those people upset you.”

“It’s just something I’ll need to get use to, isn’t it?” She shrugged and tried to push his arm away from her shoulders but he didn’t loosen his grip.

When she didn’t protest he pulled her and the blanket into his lap. “You don’t need to get used to it if you don’t want to. You can go back home if you’d like.” 

“No, Tom. I want to be here with you. I’m sorry I’m overreacting.”

“You’re not overreacting.” He pulled her chin up so he could place a kiss on her lips. “Why don’t I have Luke call or email you? He can give you some tips about ignoring unwanted attention.”

“Alright.”

“Now, are you hungry my darling?”

“Starving, I’ll make something.” She tried to stand up but Tom pulled her down and pushed her onto her back on the sofa. 

“I’ll call for something.” He leapt to his feet and jogged over to his bag so he could dig out his mobile.

\---

About a week later Andy received a rare call from Michael. 

“Michael? How are you?” She told him excitedly.

“I’m great. How have you been sweetheart? How is that gorgeous girl of ours?”

“She’s wonderful. Did you get the last email I sent with the new photos?”

“I did. She looks fantastic, I can’t believe how big she’s getting. How do you like Louisiana?”

“It’s alright, not a lot to do here so I’ve been spending a lot of time at the house.” She looked around the empty house and wished for some adult company. “Tom is working so hard, I hardly ever see him but he said the filming is going great.”

“That’s why I’m calling as a matter of fact. I’m in New York.”

“Really? That’s so exciting, I’ve never been. What are you doing there?”

“Frank, darling. I’m here with a few people to do the promo shit.” He let out a deep chuckle and she could hear a few other voices in the background. “Anyways. This weekend is mostly free so I was calling to see if you want to come up for a few days? Bring the little monster with you and we can take her to that giant toy store.”

“Oh…” She looked over at Harper who was on her back kicking her play toy furiously. “That sounds great actually, I’ll just need to check with Tom first.”

“Well make sure he says yes. I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I miss you too. I’m sure it won't be a problem, just let me see if I can set some things up. When we be a good day for me to fly in?”

“Thursday? My suite has two rooms so you wouldn’t need a hotel if you like.”

“Brilliant. I’ll ring you later, yeah?” 

“I’ll be waiting.”

Andy clicked off her mobile and stared into the kitchen. Step one...she needed to butter him up. 

\---

Tom came home to a warm house with delicious smells wafting through the halls. He threw down his bag, kicked off his shoes and wandered off to find his girls. He found Harper first, she was sitting in her chair at the table and was busy squeezing green beans in her tiny fists. When she had a good squeeze she would put her fist to her lips but she seemed unable to get more than a lick of the mush into her mouth. He leaned against the door frame and watched his little girl in her mission to destroy the vegetables. He looked a bit further into the room and saw his other girl standing at the stove. 

She looked over her shoulder to check on the baby and saw Tom standing there. She placed the wooden spoon next to the pot and walked to stand in front of the tall man. She kept her hands behind her back and stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. When she lowered back to her heels Tom’s lips followed hers down.

“What smells so delicious?” He asked her as he rubbed his fingers up and down her back.

“Chicken stew?”

“My favorite.” He leaned down to gently bite her shoulder. “Do I have time to catch a shower?”

“Of course, it’ll hold.”

“Back soon.” He gave her a kiss, leaned down to kiss Harper and then he hurried down the hall to grab a wash.

He came back into the kitchen wearing sweats and an old shirt while he scrubbed his hair dry with a towel. Andy had placed bowls of food on the table and given Harper an orange slice in a strange looking sleeve. 

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing at the device in their baby’s hands.

“She can get the juice but I don’t have to worry about any bites that are too big getting into her mouth.”

“You’re so clever.” He slammed down in his seat and looked at the spread in front of them. Andy had placed the stew into a crust as well as mashed some potatoes and green beans with some sort of slivers of something. “These aren’t the bean’s Harper made are they?”

“Of course they are, she makes all your food.” She sat down across from him. “Didn’t you know that?”

“Shut it you.” He gave her a smirk and raised his hand for her plate. He scooped up a dish of stew for her and a big pile of potatoes - her favorite, before handing it back to her. She took her plate and put some beans on the plate as well. When Tom had his filled she held his and put beans alongside his own food.

“How was filming?”

“It went really well today. I hope it’s going in the direction the director is looking for. How was your day, love?”

“Uneventful.”

“You could go out more? There is a lot to see here.”

“I know, it’s just difficult with a baby. I’m still trying to get used to doing things alone, errands are fine, it’s just sightseeing that involves a lot of driving can be...tough.”

“I didn’t think about that.” He mumbled as he moved his fork through his food.

“Tom, I got a call from Michael today.”

“Oh?” He tried to sound casual but failed to show it.

“He’s in New York, I think I want to head up there and stay for a day or two.”

“In New York? With Michael.” His fork was frozen halfway to his mouth.

“I haven’t seen him in months, it would be a fun weekend in a city that I’ve never had a chance to see.”

He set his food down and sat back in his chair to look at the woman across from him. “What about Harper?”

“I thought...I would bring her with me.” She look down at her hands in her lap.

At her name Harper let out a squeal and waved her arms off to the side. Tom watched her for a minute and then looked back at Andy.

“What about me?” He asked her quietly.

“Tom, you don’t even have this weekend free, you’ll be working the entire time.” She looked up and stared at him. “I wouldn’t mind a weekend with a good friend of mine, you know how important he is too me,” She looked back down, “and how important Harper is to him.”

He picked up his fork and started slowly eating again. “You’re right. Of course you don’t need my permission, my love.”

“Tom this doesn’t in any way change how I feel about you. It’s still you who I am coming back to.”

“Do you promise?”

“Promise what?” She asked with her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Do you promise to come back to me?”

Andy stood from her seat and moved to stand at Tom’s side. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head.

“I swear it.”

He put his arm around her waist and pushed his face into her side. “I can’t lose you Andy.”

“You have me.” 

She pulled away from him to slide her plate to the seat next to him. They finished their dinner quietly but holding each other's hands tightly. They put Harper to bed and then climbed into their bed together. Tom laid on his side and Andy scooted back until she was pressed against him as close as possible.

“Tom.” Andy whispered in the dark. “I’m afraid I’m in love with you.” She didn’t receive an answer in return so she let the tears spill over her cheeks.


	23. Chapter 23

Tom and Andy spent the days leading up to her trip in a state of uncomfort. They weren’t angry, just cautious about upsetting the other. Thursday morning approached and Tom got into the shower so he could head to the studio. While Tom was gone Andy quickly got dressed and finished putting the rest of her and Harper’s things in their suitcase.

“Do you have everything you need?” Tom asked as he re-entered the room.

“It’s only two nights. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” She turned and headed to their bathroom. “Are you sure you still want to come to the airport on Saturday? I can always catch a cab.”

“I’ll be there.” He said and he walked into the closet so he could get dressed.

Andy went into the kitchen so she could fix him some coffee to go and a quick sandwich for the ride. She was wrapping up the toast when he walked in to join her. Tom leaned down and kissed her cheek as he took the food and the travel mug she held in her hands.

“Thank you darling.” He muttered and moved to walk to the door. 

“Tom?” He stopped and looked at her. “Is that all you have to say?”

He walked back to where she stood and placed his hands on the side of her face. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow. Please call me.”

He turned around and walked out the door to the waiting car. When he was inside he closed his eyes and let his calm face slide into the despair he truly felt.

Andy, in turn, felt the tears break over her eyelashes and wondered why her going away for two days would cause this much heart ache for the two of them.

\---

When she got out of the cab at Michael’s hotel she was beyond relieved to have a place to relax for the next few hours. Harper hadn’t been as calm on this flight as she had on their flight from Madrid so the two of them were in need of some food and a good nap. They made their way to the front desk and checked in under the name Michael had given her. She got the key and made her way up to the room. She found a small living space with things covering every surface and a separate bedroom that was untouched so she fixed Harper in a nest of pillows and walked out to phone some room service.

When they brought her a sandwich, and a glass of milk she tipped the man and brought her little feast into the bedroom. When she was done eating she made sure Harper was alright where she was and stripped down to her shirt and slid into the bed next to her baby.

That evening Michael rushed back to his room so he could finally see his friend. When he opened the door and didn’t hear any sound to greet him he quietly set his things down and crept to the other room where the door was slightly open. He froze at the image in front of him; Andy was asleep on her side with her hand across the bed. Harper was sleeping in a circle of pillows with Andy’s hand resting on her belly.

His heart ached at the scene, not for the woman who was his very good friend, but for the chance to have his own family. He could see himself fitting in nicely with his woman and their child...maybe in a few years.

He kissed their heads and then padded off to his room so he could shower and change. He had gotten the information for a sitter from James so he wasn’t too worried about Andy accepting her help. When he had changed his clothes and walked back out to the main room Andy was there with Harper in her arms.

“Michael!” She rushed to greet him, “I’m so happy to see you.” They looked at the baby on her hip so she passed Harper over to Michael. “Here’s our little girl.”

“Look at you. You’re so beautiful and I bet you’ve got-” Harper hit his cheek with her fist before he could finish his sentence and he gave her a big smile. “It looks like you’ve got my temper little one.”

He looked at Andy and saw that she was almost ready. “Listen, sweetheart, I’ve got a sitter that James and Anne Marie use when they’re here, they trust her. So some of the guys and me were gonna grab some food and a few drinks, you game?”

“Sounds like fun, I’ll just finish getting dressed.” She looked at him holding Harper in his arms and smiling down at her. “Do you want to watch her for a minute?”

“Of course.”

Andy changed into a pair of jeans and a cute top but nothing that she thought was too sexy. She assumed there would be pictures of them, her and Michael, so she didn’t want to insinuate that there was anything more than friendship between them. en she was putting in her earrings she walked back out to the main room to see Michael talking to a young woman who had just arrived. He introduced them and Andy explained the details over Harper’s care, kissed her baby and they headed out of the door.

They arrived at a restaurant in the heart of SoHo and Michael helped Andy out of the car so they could head inside. They were shown to the back where they found a table full of people. Michael introduced Andy to everyone and then held her chair for her to take a seat.

Once they had drinks and plates of food to pass around, Andy felt more comfortable in her present situation. While Michael was talking to someone across the table, the man next to her turned to her.

“How are you liking New York?”

“It’s Domhnall? Right?”

“Yes, but just call me Dom.”

“I’m so sorry, I’m terrible with names. But I figure I might as well ask and look foolish the first time, than wait too long and have never got it right.” She brushed her hair back from her red face. “Sorry, um, yes I haven’t really seen the city, I only got here this afternoon.”

“Oh? First time?”

“Yes. I’ve been in Louisiana the last few weeks with my boyfriend and Michael suggested a weekend here.”

“Is your boyfriend here?”

“No, no he’s still there. He’s filming right now so it’s just me and my daughter for the weekend.”

“Filming? Anyone I know?”

“You’re not very curious are you?” Michael interrupted them with a big laugh. He put his arm across the back of Andy’s chair so he could talk to them. “Miss McKenzie here is dating the famous Mr. Tom Hiddleston.”

“Really? That’s very exciting, I’ve met him, seems like a really nice bloke.”

“He is.” Michael agreed and took a big drink of his beer.

“How do you like New York, Dom?” Andy asked, glad to have the spotlight off herself.

“It’s fantastic. The music scene is pretty fresh and there’s always something to do. You two should come out sometime. How long are you here for Andy?”

“Only until Saturday, unfortunately.”

“I’m taking her and her little monster out on a tourist adventure tomorrow, get some sights in and see how much I can spoil that kid before they leave.” Michael told him with a grin.

“How old is your daughter?”

“God, almost four months now.”

“I can’t believe it’s been that long. It seems like just yesterday we were shopping for one of your ridiculous food cravings.” Michael said as he pinched Andy’s side.

“They were completely rational, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The banter continued like this until everyone was done eating and looking forward to going to the club downstairs for some dancing. They stayed at the club for a few hours while Andy danced until she felt like her feet would fall off. She had danced with the large group and mostly with the women in the group. She and Michael danced briefly but mostly stayed close by so they could talk and laugh, Dom tried to get closer to her a few times but Andy or Michael always found a way to sidetrack him.

When they finally found themselves in the lift up to Michael’s suit the two of them were sweaty but full of the giggles.

“I swear that boy does not take a hint.” Andy laughed as she leaned on Michael’s shoulders so she could pull her heels off.

“I glad we left when we did, he wouldn’t look good with a broken nose.” He laughed lightly but subconsciously cracked the knuckles in his left hand. “You would think he would have realized that he didn’t have a chance with Hiddleston’s woman.”

“Easy now, he didn’t mean anything by it. He was also more than a little pissed.”

“Right.” He let out a deep breath and pulled the two of them down the corridor to his room.

They walked in quietly and Michael paid the babysitter, despite Andy’s whispered protests, and they went in their separate directions for bed. Andy checked on Harper in her little pillow nest and saw that she was sound asleep so she pulled out her mobile and went into the bathroom to call Tom.

It was late but she had promised to call when she was in for the night. After one ring it went to voicemail, frowning a bit she left him a simple but sweet message telling him they missed him and would see him soon.

\---

The next day the three of them went out for breakfast. Andy had bundled Harper up to fight against the cold wind that seemed to cut through the streets of Manhattan. After eating they walked for a long time through Central Park so Andy could see the views that she had only heard about in songs. She and Michael either walked hand in hand or with his arm around her shoulder; they hadn’t seen each other in so long and it felt nice to be able to reconnect like this. Halfway through their walk Michael insisted they switch the baby carrier over to him. They spent at least twenty minutes trying to adjust straps and buckles so the little holder would fit on his chest and then they finally had it in order. Andy looked at Michael and stepped back with a laugh.

“What?” He asked with a frown on his face.

“I have got to get a photo of this, I don’t think anyone expected this image of you for quite a while.” 

“Oh shut it, let’s go.” He pulled on her hand and led them to their next sightseeing plan.

They walked along fifth avenue for a few blocks and Andy loved seeing all of the stores lit up with window dressings and decorations covering the outsides. When they reached FAO Schwarz Michael could hardly contain his excitement.

They walked through the aisles for a while before he realized that, though he was interested in the complex toys, Harper had absolutely no desire to see anything that didn’t make some sort of noise. He finally hit gold when he found a huge section dedicated to just stuffed animals. Andy followed in his wake as he browsed through teddy bears, dogs, lions and other random animals until he pulled out a large elephant.

“This is perfect!” He crowed out in delight and held it for Harper to grab onto it.

“Michael, that’s bigger than she is.” Andy protested but smiled when she felt the soft fur and the easy push of the big, pillow like, animal.

“That’s even better. She’ll grow into it.” Michael told her excitedly. He pushed the elephant into Andy’s arms and he went to wall of sea life animals. He found a beautiful blue and purple fish that he held up for Harper’s inspection, after watching her face he picked up a starfish and did the same thing; he finally dug out a baby harp seal stuffed animal and Harper pulled the animal out of his arms and pressed it against her face.

“There we are.” He decided on the seal as well. 

Andy thought it was funny to watch Michael have a mental debate with the baby strapped to his chest. He moved them down to the basement to find the infant’s toys. He found a cute giraffe rubber toy as well as a handful of other teething items. When they finally were at the register Michael had a basket overflowing with things for Harper.

“Michael, really this is too much.”

“I’m Harper’s favorite Uncle Michael, remember? This is my job.” He waved her off and paid for his purchases. They left the store weighed down by several bags for Michael’s little girl.

“Michael I think we need to put that girl down for her nap.” Andy said as they walked along the street.

He looked down at the baby yawning on his chest and agreed with her. They caught a cab back to his hotel. When they got there they dumped the shopping bags and Andy set about getting one of Harper’s bottles ready. She sat on the couch and started feeding her when Michael sat down with them.

“Do you want to…” She gestured to the bottle and Michael nodded excitedly. So Andy passed the baby and her bottle over for him to hold. She watched the man who had become her best friend feed the baby that the two of them had known, long before she was even in the world. Watching Michael smile happily down at Harper made Andy forget about the pain she felt when she left Tom. When Harper was done eating Andy took her and got her ready for bed. When she came out Michael had ordered in some room service for lunch. 

“Oh thank you, I’m starving.” Andy sat down at the table and looked over what he had ordered. “What’d you get me?”

“Chicken pasta?” He said uncertainly as he joined her.

“Oh thank god. I was hoping I wouldn't have to steal your lunch.” She said with a laugh as pulled the plate towards her.

He fixed his own plate and took a bite before he looked up at the woman across from him. “So how are things between you and Tom?”

“They’ve been really great.” 

“That’s good, yes?”

“Michael, I don’t want to talk about things that would make you uncomfortable.” She bit her lip in her nervousness to say the next part.

“Darling I love you, but you and I would never work like that. We both know that.”

“I tried to push things...further than just kisses, I guess, and...I guess he didn’t want that. I just don't understand. One minute he is all over me, and the next he pushes me away.” She pushed her pasta around with her fork. “I don’t know where I stand with him.”

Michael took a few more bites of his sandwich while he thought over what she had said. “How did he react about you coming up here for the weekend?”

“Cold and distant, I guess.” She looked down at her lap and when she looked back up at him she had tears shining in her eyes. “The night I told him that I wanted to come out here to see you, it was a really emotional time for us. When we were in bed I...I told him...I said that I had fallen in love with him.”

“What did he say?”

“He didn’t say anything.” Andy said and then looked back her plate and picked at her food as much as she could manage.

“You said you were in bed, had you…” Michael let the question dangle.

“No. We haven’t done anything other than kissing really.” She put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. “Maybe I was right from the beginning. He doesn’t want me, he wants the happy family.”

“Sweetheart you don’t know the whole story. He might have been asleep already, there are so many possible outcomes.”

“How is it that you always have positive ideas about my relationship?”

“Because I don’t have any of my own. Somebody should.” Michael shrugged.

“What do I do?”

“Wait, ask him about what happened. That man loves you Andrea.” 

They finished their lunch with a bit lighter conversation and a lot of horrible jokes. When they were done; Andy laid out on the couch while Michael laid out on the floor next to her. They talked more about where Michael was headed and when Andy would start work back up again. An hour later they heard cries coming from Harper so they got up to fix up their girl.

That night they ate at a little café nearby so they could keep an eye on the squirming girl in the seat at the end of their table. The restaurant had big stale bread sticks so Andy gave Harper one to suck on and keep her sore gums busy. Michael ordered a big pizza for them to share and of all the places she had eaten, it was one of the best pizza’s Andy had ever had. 

They finished the night walking around for a few blocks. Michael had Harper strapped to his chest and a big blanket covering her; ‘she might get cold’ he had told Andy as they left. While they looked around Manhattan late at night, the two friends silently thought over their own life.

“Michael I really had a great time. Will you promise to call me the next time you’re in a city nearby, or not nearby, I can travel.”

“I wouldn’t miss this.” He kissed her forehead and held on tighter to the baby strapped to him.


	24. Chapter 24

When their plane landed on Saturday afternoon Andy wrangled an extremely cranky baby into her holder on her chest so she could shoulder her carry-on. They walked slowly through the terminal and found the correct carousel to pick up their luggage. While she was waiting for her luggage to come around she saw Tom come in one of the side entrances. She hurried over to him and moved sideways so she could give him the kiss she had been dying to give him. When she reached up he turned and faced Harper and pulled her into his arms. Andy fell back on her heels and watched as Tom reconnected with his baby. After a moment of being unnoticed, she walked back to find her bag. When she saw it come around she grabbed it and lugged it off of the conveyor belt; when she walked up to Tom he was still kissing their girl.

She didn’t know what to do so she touched his arm and started walking to the exit. He seemed to snap out of his stupor and he gently put Harper into her carrier on Andy’s chest and he pulled their suitcase to the car he had waiting. They rode in silence to their little house and from there Andy walked into her room to set Harper into her night routine. When she was done, and Harper was asleep, she walked out to see Tom sitting in the living room.

“I called you.” She told him as she set onto the sofa next to him. “Every night, and a few times during the day.”

“I didn’t know what to say.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want to make you feel like you needed to check in.”

“Tom. I wanted to talk to you, to be connected to you.” She turned and faced him completely, she took a deep breath and asked the question that had been on her mind for days. “Did you hear what I told you that night, right after we went to bed?

He looked away from her and at his hands. “That you were in love with me?”

She pulled in a shocked breath. “Tom?” She waited for his answer and after a few minutes he didn’t give any response. 

Finally he let out a breath before saying, “I have fallen for you completely. But it drove me insane that you didn’t decide you were in love with me until Michael called you. I don’t care how it looks. Do you love him?”

“No. I’ve been in love with you this whole time. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me again.” She said as she shoved her self up from the sofa. “I’m such an idiot.”

She brushed the tears from her cheeks and went to her room and locked the door behind her.

Tom hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch. If he wanted her than he needed to make a gesture, he needed to show that he did love her. Stop shutting her out and making her wonder where they stood. He leaned back against the cushions and tried to come up with a plan.

\---

The next morning he stepped out of the shower and got dressed. He didn’t have to be at the studio until that night so he had most of the day off. Tom wandered into the kitchen and was surprised that he didn’t see Andy, she usually beat him there but her door was still closed. He made breakfast for the two of them and when he pushed the bread down in the toaster he went to knock on her door.

“Andy? I’ve made some breakfast for us.” He called out. After a moment the door opened and Andy walked out and handed Harper over to him. He saw bags and boxes dotting the floor in her room and he followed her back into the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” He asked as he put Harper in her little seat.

“I’m going home.” Andy told him as she put a piece of toast on a plate and poured herself some coffee.

“Going home? You mean to Madrid?”

“Yes.”

“But your ticket isn’t for two more weeks.” He leaned against the counter and tried to get her to look at him.

“I had it changed.” She took her plate and sat down at the table.

Tom sat down with a frustrated noise and looked at her. “Will you please tell me what’s going on.”

“I tried Tom.” She raised her chin to look at him and he leaned back in shock at her eyes, they were red and swollen from crying. “You wanted to give us a chance and I did. When I fell for you, you didn’t acknowledge me at all.”

“That’s not true Andy, I-”

“I told you I loved you and you didn’t say anything. And then whenever I tried to call you, you ignored me.” She looked down at the table and ran her hand through her hair. “Sound familiar?”

“I get so jealous of your friendship with Michael. I’m sorry. I’m just so afraid he’ll take you away from me.”

“Well you’re getting what you want, you’ve pushed me away, so I’m going.” She stood up and left her food and mug of coffee untouched. “The flight leaves in a few hours so if you could keep an eye on Harper while I pack that would be great.”

“Andy stop. You can’t leave.” Tom jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm. “It was a mistake, I’m sorry. I love you too, please don’t leave me.”

“You have one hell of a way of showing it.” She looked down at his hand. “Let me go.” Tom immediately released her and she went into the bedroom to continue the packing she had started doing that morning.

Tom took Harper out of her chair and placed her on her little blanket in the living room. Once she was suitably distracted he was free to pace the length of the room. What the fuck did he do now? She was leaving, he needed more time.

He checked that her door was shut and he pulled his mobile out and found the number he was looking for.

“Hello?”

“Michael? Listen man, I need your help. Andy and I had a bit of an argument and I need some way of keeping her here.”

“Did you really not say anything when she said she loved you?”

“What, no I-”

“Did you?”

“I didn’t know what to say.” He said as his shoulders slumped.

“I thought you were better than this.” Tom heard him let out a breath on the other end of the phone. “Out of all the people, why did you call me?”

“You can make her stay. She’ll listen to you.”

“Why the fuck would I try and talk her into staying with you? You’re making her miserable!”

“I love her Michael.” When he didn’t hear any response he pushed on. “I love her and I was a tit and got jealous about her spending time with you. Please help me, I’ve got to get some...eh...things. I’m going to do this right.”

“I’ll call her.” Michael said after a moment. “But I swear to God, Hiddleston if you do this again I will beat the shit out of you and have no regrets.”

“I understand. Thank-” But Michael ended the call before he could thank him.

Tom put his mobile in his pocket and jumped into action. He grabbed up Harper and the keys for the car and after belting her in he ran around to the drivers seat and took off.

\---

“Michael?” Andy answered her mobile a bit confused. She had called him last night to ask him for advice and now she wondered why he was calling again.

“Andy I think this might be a bit too hasty.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t run away. Make him answer for his actions. Leaving is the easy way out for him, make him face this.”

“I’m so tired of going through this. I have a child to care for, isn’t that enough responsibility? Or do I need to continue to wait around while her father decides what he wants from me?”

“I know sweetheart. This is the worst situation. I just wanted to give you some extra strength. You’ve got this. Let me know what you decide.”

“I will. Thank you for everything.”

“Always.” He told her before disconnecting the call.

Andy laid flat on her back in the middle of her bed. She didn’t need to check on Harper, there was no one she trusted more than Tom with her baby. How could he possibly explain his actions this time? If he said he was embarrassed, again, what should she do? Forgive him? Was he going to ignore her every time something got a bit emotional? She laid there and weighed every option she could think of. She was in love with Tom; nothing would change that, only time would allow her to get over the heartache. She knew she wasn’t going to make her flight but she didn’t care about the ticket. She curled up and thought over what happened to her life.

Andy finally looked at her watch and she saw that it was almost eight at night, she needed to feed Harper and put her down for the night. She walked out of her room and the entire house was dark except for some light coming from the living room.

She walked down the corridor and found Tom standing in the middle of their living room. He was surrounded by wildflowers and there were lighted candles on every surface in the room. When he saw her enter the room he dropped to his knees.

“Andrea I have been in love with you since the moment I saw you pregnant with my child. I wanted to show you that I could be there for you and our baby. I needed to win back your trust and I wanted to show you I could be strong and provide for our family. I didn’t want you to think that I loved you only for our baby, I wanted you to see that I was in love with and our child only strengthened that bond. I didn’t want to rush into anything, I was trying to win you over slowly and strongly. I let my jealousy blind me when you did tell me you loved me, and for that I am truly sorry.”

He rose to his feet and walked slowly to the stunned woman.

“I wanted to tell you like this. You know me and my stupid tendency towards the dramatic. You didn’t give me time to work up to it and I behaved like an ass. Please accept my most sincere apology and tell me that I have some chance of winning you. I can’t imagine a greater prize than your love.”

He stopped a few inches from her and held his hands out to her, palms up.

“I am in love with you Andrea, please don’t ever leave me.”

Andy stood still during the entire speech while tears fell from her eyes. She was so tired of crying. She looked up at the man in front of her and gave a small nod.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of smut...a little sorry.

When Andy smiled at him he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He held her to him and pushed his face into her hair while they tried to overcome the anxiety of the past twenty four hours. He pulled away from her suddenly and pulled her mouth up to meet his. Their lips melded together in a desperate way. Tom took his hands and held her face to his and he pulled kiss after kiss from his woman’s gorgeous lips. When she needed to breath he moved his lips along her jaw and then further down her throat. 

“Andy I love you.” He moaned as he reached her collarbone. He bit the skin there gently and then sucked it into his mouth, sure that he had left a mark. “Andy, my beautiful Andy. The mother of my child and the woman of my heart.”

She sucked in a breath at these words and let the tears continue to flow over her cheeks. When Tom felt the wet he moved back to her face and kissed away every trace of tear drops on her face. He kissed her lips for a while before tracing the line of her mouth with his tongue, when her lips parted slightly he pushed past the barrier and swirled his tongue with hers. He teased her tongue into following his back into his mouth so he was able to suck on her sensitive muscle. 

When she let out a moan at the feeling he felt his knees go weak. 

“Tom where is Harper?”

“She’s at Jessie's’ it’s alright.”

“Okay.”

And she pushed her lips back to his. He kissed her like it was the end of the world and there was nothing else he needed but to be with her; at the moment that was exactly how he felt. His hands made their way into her hair and his long fingers pulled her hair out of the braid she had put it in. When she was breathless and looking at him with a far away look in her eyes, he bent and swung her up into his arms.

He turned and looked at the living room, deeming the candles safe in their containers, and then moved her to the bedroom. He chose to head to the room he had been staying in and carefully laid her on the bed. He stood up straight and looked at the siren on his bed, her hair was fanned out behind her head while she tried to catch her breath.

“Do you want me Andrea? Because I can’t think straight, for longing for you.”

“Yes.” She whispered, still too afraid that the spell would break.

“Thank God.” He mutter and he threw himself on her. He kissed and licked every free inch of skin he could find. When that was exhausted he pulled on her shirt and helped her take it off. Then he threw himself onto her, kissing her breathless before moving down to place wet, open mouthed kisses on her chest and stomach. He reached her scar and he ran his tongue along the sensitive skin, seeing her stomach muscles contract at the ticklish sensation.

He leaned up on his elbows and looked at her with dark eyes. He sat up and reached behind her to unclasp her bra so she leaned up to help him. When he had it off he looked at her, all of her and his jaw dropped. He had seen her breastfeed so many times he couldn’t count, but seeing her like this-for him, he couldn’t speak.

He kissed every inch of skin on her breasts and licked and sucked at her nipples until she cried out from the sensitivity. Then he moved his kisses down her chest, down her stomach until he reached the top of the jeans she wore. He looked up at her and when she gave him a small smile he popped open her button and then slid down the zip until there was enough ease for him to pull the pants down completely.

He pulled gently, Andy raising her hips to help, until he tugged the material over her feet and could toss them to the floor. 

Andy lay completely naked on the bed and Tom’s mouth went dry at the sight. He stood at the foot of the bed and let his eyes roam over her until he had to lick his lips to re-wet them. 

“Christ Andy. If I die right now, I’ll be a happy man.” He moaned to her. Then he threw himself back on the bed and kissed her until, for the hundredth time, she was breathless. Then he moved his body down hers so he could kiss her scar and then lick and bite her lower lips. He moved his right hand so he could run his fingers up and down her wetness while he sucked on any piece of skin he could find.

He watched her face as he slowly slid his finger deep inside her, as she opened her mouth with a gasp as he sucked on her clit. She cried out at the sensations, so he smiled and did it again. He pushed his long finger deep inside her while he licked and sucked at her clit. When he felt her tense up he pushed two finger deep and curled them until she cried out. While her body was stiff he sucked hard on her clit until he felt her tighten around his fingers and she let out a deep moan as her body relaxed.

“It’s been a long time my love.” He murmured as he kissed up her body until he met her lips.

“You were my last, so yes it has.” She told him and kissed him hard.

He met her kisses and pushed her body back to the bed so they could continue this connection. When she pushed her hands against his chest he pulled off her.

“Tom, I’m not on…”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He assured her.

“I want you Tom. I just can’t without a….”

“Alright my love. Lay back and let me take care of you.” He told her as he pushed her back to the bed. He kissed her until she was in the same sleepy state her orgasm had left her in. Then he reached into the nightstand grabbed one of the condoms he had prayed he would need. After setting everything to rights he reached down and rubbed gently at her folds before pushing a finger inside her. “Do you want me?”

“Yes.”

So he removed his finger and placed himself at her entrance. He kissed her deeply as he slowly pushed himself inside her. He moved slowly, in and out, and he sucked her tongue to mimic his actions. When he was finally seated inside her the two of them moaned. He raised himself up on one elbow so he could slid his hand down to hold her hip close to his. He kissed her deeply as he began moving slowly within her body.

“Oh Tom.” Andy said softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He continued to move as he kissed every inch of her he could reach. Her eyelids, nose, earlobe and down to her collarbone where he bit it gently.

“I love you Andy.” He moaned against her skin.

They kept their slow moments until Andy started to push harder against him, so Tom pushed deeper and harder until she cried out in pleasure. He kept pushing into her until he felt her muscles tighten around him.

“That’s it love, let go.” He moved his fingers down to where they were connected and rubbed her clit in gentle circles. “Come for me, I’ve got you.”

He kissed her passionately until Andy cried out and threw her head back as she felt her release wash over her. Tom tried to hold back a little longer but feeling her pulse around him so tightly made him lose his control. He buried his face in her shoulder as he groaned out his own pleasure. 

They lay there trying to catch their breath for a moment until Tom leaned up and kissed her for a long moment. Then he carefully pulled out of her and walked into the bathroom, he walked back out with a warm cloth that he used to carefully clean Andy before joining her in the bed. He pulled back the blankets and dragged her down under the sheets with him. He positioned her so that she was almost entirely on top of him, so he could wrap his legs around hers.

“Are you alright?” He whispered into her hair.

“Yes.” She whispered back.

He rubbed her back gently and he felt her start to shiver, but it didn’t stop after a few seconds. 

“Andy?” He tried to get her to look up at him. “Andy, what is it? Did I hurt you? Please love, talk to me.”

“What happens now?” She asked but she wouldn’t look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going to shut me out again?”

“No.” He told her without hesitation.

“So we move forward?”

He rolled them so he was pushing her into the mattress with his body. He pulled his hand up to the side of her face and looked her in the eyes.

“We move forward as a man and woman who love each other, and love their child. This wasn’t just sex, Andy. This was us being together, showing our love for one another. No matter what happens, you are mine.” He kissed her gently before pulling back a little, “and I am yours.”


	26. Chapter 26

The night before Andy and Harper were set to leave for Madrid, Tom came home early from the studio so he could spend the extra time with them. He had a large bag of food from one of Andy’s favorite restaurants in town and a bouquet of flowers in his other hand. He let himself in the house and carefully closed the door behind him. He could see boxes already sealed and labeled to be mailed back to Madrid sitting in their living room. 

“Andy? Where are you my love?” He called out as he placed the food on the table in the kitchen.

“Back here.” He heard her call out and rushed to find her.

He pushed open the door to their bedroom and saw Harper laying on a blanket on the floor, surrounded by clothes. He looked around until he saw his girl walking out of the closet with a large armful of more clothing. He hurried up to her and yanked her up into his arms so he could kiss her beautiful lips.

“These are you for you my wild girl.” He mumbled again her lips as he took her hand and wrapped her fingers around the paper wrapped bundle.

“I’m not wild.” She protested with a pout.

“You are beyond anyone’s control, my wild girl.” He said as he sucked the lower lip of her pout into his mouth so he could give it a soft bite.

“But I won’t be able to enjoy these.” She said as she looked down at the flowers in her hand.

“They will remind me of how sexy you looked when I gave them to you.”

“I’m wearing jogging clothes.”

“Very...sexy...tight...clothes.” He told her as he kissed her lips with every word. “I can help you out of them if you like.”

“That is a very kind offer but it’s a bit early for that.”

“It’s never too early for a romp with the most beautiful woman I know.” He said as he leaned down and pushed her lips apart so he could lick the tip of his tongue along the roof of her mouth. He used his now free hands to reach down and hold her ass tightly so he could pull her closer to him.

He pulled back so Andy could take a much needed breath and continued kissing and licking down her neck until he reached his favorite spot on her collar bone. He bit and sucked at the skin there until there was a deep purple mark showing.

“Darling, I need to finish this.” Andy told him with a gasp and she tried to gesture around the room.

“Finish? You mean what we’ve started?” He asked with a growl. At that moment Harper chose to let out a large screech of indignation that her father hadn’t acknowledge her presence yet. He laughed and let go of the woman in his arms so he could focus on his other girl.

He bent down and swept the little girl up into his arms. “Hello my little princess. And how are you today? Have you been a good girl for Mummy?” She squealed at him and let out a giggle as he tickled her round little belly. “You are getting prettier by the day, I’m going to have to build a moat around the house to keep all the boys away from my little girl. But you’ll never want to date, will you? My perfect little girl.”

“She’s only a few months old and you’re already teaching her that she can’t date?” Andy asked with a laugh as she rested her hands on her hips.

“I didn’t say she couldn’t date, I said she wouldn’t want to.” He told her around Harper’s hand that was covering his mouth. “Are you hungry, my love?”

“Always.”

“I brought you pulled pork from that place you like.” He said as he raised Harper high above his head to make her laugh.

“Bone Down?” She practically ran from the room as she shouted back at him, “Why didn’t you say so?”

He followed her into the kitchen, holding a squirming babies in his arms. Andy was unloading container after container of food onto the stove so the counter wouldn’t cool it.

“So I take it I chose well?”

“You should have told me sooner, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time kissing you.” 

He shifted Harper to his hip so he could cover his heart in pain. “I’m wounded, my lady.”

She didn’t answer, only walked over and took Harper from him so she could set her into the chair that was still at the table. She then walked to the fridge and pulled out some orange slices in the baby covering for Harper to chew on; she placed the fruit on the tray in front of the baby and she was immediately distracted. Then Andy walked over to Tom and gave him a small push until he was up against the kitchen wall and she wrapped her arms around his neck so she could kiss him with as much passion as she was able.

Tom froze in shock at her sudden actions but recovered quickly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and turned them so Andy was against the wall and he could push his body up against hers. With a moan he sucked her tongue into his mouth and shoved his hips into hers so she could feel his growing problem between the two of them. She pulled her leg up and he grabbed under her knee so she could grind into him.

“Oh God, Andy. What you do to me…” He moaned into her ear as he let small bites along her neck. 

They continued like this for a few more moments before a small sneeze caught their attention. Andy’s face turned bright red and she pulled away from him with a jerk. 

“I can’t believe I did that.” She groaned as she rubbed her hands roughly over her face. 

“I love that you did that.” Tom told her as he kissed her shoulder from behind her. “Christ, you are so sexy.”

She turned around to face him and she chewed on the tip of one of her nails. “I have never done anything like that, except when I am with you. I never went home with a man like I did with you that first time.” He looked down in shame but she pushed his chin up so he could look her in the eye. “And it gave me the life I didn’t know that I wanted so badly. You gave me our Harper. Thank you, my love.”

“I love you so much.” He moaned out as he crushed her to him. A minute later they turned and set about getting their supper together.

\---

That night Tom woke her over and over again so he could make love to her. She didn’t ever protest, only smiled sleepily at him until she couldn’t contain her moan of pleasure over what he was doing to her body.

The alarm went off and Tom stretched his long arm across her body so he could shut it off. He slid down her still sleeping form and put his mouth to better use than waking her. She never opened her eyes, only groaned and moaned as he tongue did delicious things to her body. When he finally let her catch her breath she opened her eyes with a start and moved to join him at the foot of the bed.

“I love you.” She whispered. “And not only your talented tongue, everything attached to it.” She said as she kissed his lips.

“I won’t be gone for long, I’ll be back to you in a few weeks.” Tom told her with a bite to her lower jaw.

“You do seem to be very found of biting me, I wonder what your public would make of that.” She mused aloud.

“They would be jealous.” He chuckled at her frown and continued, “that I have such a delicious woman at my disposal.”

“Are you serious about taking me to the airport?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry that you had to buy me a new ticket.”

“Don’t you dare apologize, remember the amazing sex we had because of it?” He told her as he rolled her under him. He did seem to love pinning her with his arms.

“I need to get Harper.” She argued against his wandering lips.

“She’s not awake yet-” He was interrupted by Harper’s cry coming through the baby monitor. He sighed and rolled over so his woman could escape him and attend to their little girl. When he was able to, control himself, he walked into the kitchen so he could join his little family. He picked up his darling girl immediately.

“Hello my perfect little girl. How are you this morning?” He asked Harper as he pulled her close to his chest. She stuck her tongue out at him as he tossed her carefully into the air. “Oh my little princess, you are the most perfect girl in the world. Look at you my little lovely. Are you hungry, let’s see what Mummy is making for us, shall we?”

He kissed her again and placed her carefully into her seat at the table. Then he walked over to the woman at the stove and placed his hand on her lower back so he could lean in to give her a kiss.

“What are you making, beautiful?” He asked with a kiss to her cheek.

“Eggs and soldiers for us, the usual for that one.” She tipped her head towards their little girl.

“You’re really making me soldiers?” He asked her excitedly as he looked down at the pot of water with eggs in it.

“I do know how you love it.”

“I can’t let you leave me. Please stay here, I’ll do anything you ever ask of me.” He moaned into her robe covered shoulder.

“I have to go back to work. I’ll, we’ll see you soon.” She told him and left a kiss on his lips hovering over her shoulders.

“Fine but I’m not happy.” He grumbled and moved to sit in his seat at the table.

“It takes quite a lot to make you happy, Darling.”

“Just you and my daughter, the rest can sort itself out.” He moaned out as he rested his chin in his palm.

“You love your job, don’t be ridiculous.”

Finally she placed a small plate of eggs and another plate of sliced toast onto the table. She gave the heated bottle of milk to Harper, who grabbed it and sucked at it hungrily. Tom got his breakfast ready and watched his woman do the same, at that he gave a huge grin.

“What?” She asked as she looked down at herself.

“I called you 'my woman' in my head. I like being able to call you that.”

“Possessive bastard.”

“You love it.” He blew her a kiss and smiled when he saw her blush.

They finished breakfast and set about getting ready to leave. Tom carried their bags out to the car and stacked them in the back. Then he took Harper from Andy and gently settled her into her car seat so she was safely buckled in. When everything was put into place he pulled Andy to get into her seat in the passenger side.

They drove in relative silence, broken only by Harper’s occasional screeches, to the airport in Shreveport. They pulled into the parking structure and Tom got their luggage onto the cart so he could escort them into the building. They walked slowly into the building without saying a word. Once they had checked the luggage and Andy was ready to bring her and Harper through security and onto the airplane, Tom turned his girls to face him.

They looked at each other until Andy broke their silence, “will you come back?”

“I will always come back for you. You and Harper are mine.” He told her with a stern tone of voice. Before she could say something else he pushed his lips to her’s. “I love the two of you with more than I thought I was capable. I love you Andrea.” 

He kissed her passionately until she needed air. Then he turned his attention to his tiny daughter. He pulled her up into his arms and held her so she was facing him.

“Harper Ophelia, my beautiful little girl, I will be back before you know it. I love you so much my little princess.” He kissed her and placed her carefully into the holder on Andy’s chest.

“Tom I love you, please come back to us.” Andy told him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I would never lose you. I will be right back.” He kissed her deeply and then kissed the baby between them. “Call me as soon as you land.”

“Of course. I love you Tom.” She said and put her hand on the side of his face before walking away from him and beyond his contact.


	27. Chapter 27

The first day back to work wasn’t that difficult for Andy, it was leaving Harper at the care center that caused her to panic. She placed her in the center of the other children who were playing with different toys. She watched as she crawled into the action and started sharing with the other boys and girls.

“You’ll call me for anything, yes?” She asked the women working there. When they told her they would she left the area and headed up to her little office. She did her best to concentrate on everything but at the end of the day she had a pile of new manuscripts to bring home with her so she could double check over everything. She gathered her little trouble maker and headed back to their house.

Setting Harper into her little play area she sent out a text and then set up her laptop. A moment later Tom was calling her on her skype so she opened the window.

“Hello darling, how was the first day back?”

“Hi.” Andy said quietly and rested her chin in hand while she looked at her beautiful man on the camera.

“Are you alright?” He looked panicked and his eyes darted across the screen as he tried to take in her surroundings. “Where’s Harper?”

“We’re fine, it’s all alright.”

His shoulders slumped as he dropped his head in relief. After letting out a deep breath he looked back up at the camera. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” He told her sternly with a frown on his face.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You looked at me strangely.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Now Andy was mad as well.

“Just show me Harper already.” He said with his arms crossed.

Andy’s mouth dropped open but she silently took her laptop and placed it on the floor so Tom could see their squirmy little girl. She stood by and watched her baby chew on her own fingers while she looked curiously at the screen.

“Hello you. Look at you, my little princess.” She squealed in response to Tom’s voice so he continued, “Hi. Hello there little girl. Have you been a good girl for Mummy and been good while she was at work?” When he paused Harper spit her tongue out at him. “I bet you were, my little spitfire, you are going to be a trouble maker, aren’t you?” Andy heard him cooing at her and blowing kisses to make her smile. “Oh, my love, I miss you terribly. I am going to see you soon and you are due for quite a lot of kisses and tickles my little princess.” Andy assumed he was making funny faces at her to make her giggle like she was; after a moment she heard him ask a different question. “Harper, my love, do you think your Mummy might want to join us?” 

Andy didn’t move from where she stood by the sofa.

“Harper...Harper my love, where’s Mummy? Can you see Mummy, my love?” At his insistence Harper raised up to her chest and looked up at her “Mummy” that was in question. She screamed and pulled her hands at the woman she now wanted to hold her. Andy tried to resist her daughter’s pull but she couldn’t stand the wanting so she knelt down and held Harper close to her chest in a tight hug.

“There you are.” Tom said with a sigh.

“I thought you wanted Harper.” Andy said bitterly.

“Andy...oh my love I am sorry. Andy, I never don’t want to see you. I’m sorry I was so short with you, I was worried.” He pleaded with her through the computer screen.

“Because I looked at you strange.” Andy said matter-of-factly as she kissed the baby in her arms and laid her back on the blanket so Tom could see her clearly.

“Hello little girl, my little beloved.” He said when his daughter was back in his eyesight.

Andy fussed about with Harper in silence. She fixed her tiny skirt and onesie that it was attached to; she smoothed her tiny little hairs that had turned a white blonde; and she placed a stuffed elephant toy in her pudgy little hands for her to grab.

“Andy, my love, I’m sorry.” Tom begged across the time zones.

“It’s fine Tom, I shouldn’t have worried you.”

“Why did you look at me like that?” He put his own chin in his hand while he tilted his head in thought. “Oh love, won’t you tell me?”

“I was thinking about how lucky I was to have such a loving man, that looked that beautiful.” Andy admitted through gritted teeth. “You bleeding idiot.”

“Andy, Andrea, I will always be surprised to hear that from you. I plan on spending my life winning you over.” Tom confessed to her with a raised eyebrow. 

“Call me later.” 

“Andy wait I didn’t mean-”

“Do you want to see Harper some more?” Andy asked him in a toneless voice.

“Please.”

Andy sat by while Tom talked to their baby about the silly toys she had within her grasp; he told her stories about the people he had seen and finally read her a passage from Lewis that made her little eyes falls shut. When she was absolutely asleep, Andy ended the call and closed her laptop. She put her little trouble maker to bed and then set about gathering something for her own dinner. Tom had called her immediately but she ignored it and sent him a text to call her at his lunch. Once she ate, she watched a movie on their television and waited the extra time for him to call her again.

It wasn’t late when he finally was able to call her. Andy made sure her baby was settled in their room and she had a monitor to keep an ear out for her cries; finally, she answered the call.

“Tom.”

“Andy? Oh good lord, Andy. Thank you for answering.” She could hear his desperation in his voice.

“Tom, please listen to-”

“Andy here’s the thing, I always think the worst of every situation so I was only afraid for you and-”

“Tom, please-”

“And I was so terrified of having no control over the situation-” He continued to drone on in her ear while she was trying to talk to him.

“Tom, please listen-”

He continued to talk over her, “and I’m still constantly surprised that you’ve even let me back into your life, so to hear you tell me you think about me like that makes me second guess everything-”

“Tom.”

“-and you had just started back into your old life, so why would you continue to think of me. Maybe someone else could hold your affection better than I could.” He took a deep, shuddering breath at this realization. When he heard nothing but silence on the other line he asked, “Andy? Are you still there?” 

“I’m here.”

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

“You wouldn’t give me the chance.” She waited while he took another deep breath.

“I’m sorry Andy.”

“Tom, did something happen today?” She asked in a gentle, soothing voice.

“No, everything was fine.” Andy didn’t answer and let that hang in the air until he started talking again. “We had to reshoot the entire second sequence and the producers weren’t happy so it looks like they need to extend the shoot for another week.”

“Oh Tom, I’m so sorry.”

“I was going to be fucking home in two weeks and now it’s closer to a bloody, fucking month. I’ve been working like a mad man and now, because of some fucking background images they want to reshoot a whole, bloody sequence.”

They sat in silence for a moment as Tom tried to calm his temper.

“I’m sorry Andy. I shouldn’t have acted like I did earlier. I love you so much, and of course I trust that you love me too.”

“It’s alright, Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“Oh my darling. I love you and I miss you terribly. I can’t wait to have you back in my arms.”

“I can’t wait to be back in your arms, but my own hands will be otherwise...engaged.” Andy practically purred the last word through the line.

“Oh Christ, is it going to be one of those calls.” Tom groaned out. “What are you wearing?”

“It can’t be my love.” She giggled at the deep sigh she heard from Tom. “You’re only at lunch.”

“Why are you always right?” He moaned to her.

“That’s why you love me.” Andy laughed again at yet another sigh from her man. “Tom I’m sorry that you've been having a difficult time but try and embrace how much you love what you do. Harper and I still get to see you and we both love you so much. You’ll be home when you’re meant to be home.”

“Oh my Andy I love you with all that I am. It is physically painful for me to be away from you.”

“Oh you and your eloquent speech.”

“Sweetheart. How was your first day back?”

“It was alright, I hated leaving Harper but they told me she really loved being around the other children so I guess that is something that we haven’t been able to really give her. I just need to get used to it.” Andy twisted her hair around her hand as she thought about her anxiety during the day.

“You’re such a wonderful Mum to her.” Andy couldn’t keep the smile from her face at his compliment. “Did you like getting back to what you love doing?”

“I really did. It’s interesting how the flow of literature has changed since I was away, I like getting back to what I know.”

There was a loud pounding and a muffled voice from Tom’s end of the call.

“Darling, I’ve got to get back. I love you so much. It’s been too long, in a few days I have an off day and you and I will have a certain call about what you’re wearing and how I should take it off you.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I love you Tom.”

“I love you Andy, kiss our girl for me and I’ll talk to you soon.”


	28. Chapter 28

One Friday evening Andy rushed to the daycare to get her little girl. She chatted with the woman running the place about Harper’s day.

“She was wonderful as always Ms. McKenzie. We have a new boy who is not two and they talk all day.”

“I’m so glad that you’re here Senora Ruiz, you are so good with her. Thank you for all your help. Have a great weekend, yes? I’ll see you on Monday.”

The conversation took place mostly in Spanish with the occasional English word as a filler. Andy gathered up Harper’s bag and then Harper herself. She wrapped the two of them up and then headed home. As she got off the lift she trudged down the corridor with several bags on her shoulders and a fussy newborn in her arms.

“Alright, yes I know. I’m hungry too, we’re going to get home and then have so dinner before we go to bed. Doesn’t that sound fun? I know, I know baby.” She cooed at her little girl to try and placate her. 

They ended up at the door to their home and Andy carefully opened the locks and stepped into her sanctuary. She froze when she saw the lights on in a few of the rooms. Against her better judgment she did the first thing that came to her mind, “hello?” She called out.

Her call was immediately answered by a man in jeans and a button down shirt running to her from the kitchen.

“Andy, Andy you’re home.” Tom called as he got close, he pulled Harper from her grasp and looked at his little girl. “Look at you my little princess. Oh I have missed you so much, Oh come here.” He moaned out as he pressed a dozen kisses on her face, arms and hands. Harper squealed in laughter and stuck her little tongue out at him. “Oh my princess, my beautiful Harper. Daddy’s here, I’ve missed you so much. Now let me say hello to your Mummy, yes?”

He moved Harper to rest on his hip so he could fit his fingers around the back of Andy’s neck and pull her into a long kiss.

“Oh Andy, how I’ve missed you.” He pushed a hard kiss to her lips and just as he tried to deepen it, his little girl yelled in protest. “Alright my little one. Are you hungry? I bet you are, yes you are. Let’s go get some dinner.”

They found their way into the kitchen after Andy had dropped their bags in the entryway. Tom bounced Harper on his hip as he stirred something in a small sauce pan. 

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Andy told him as she took a seat on one of the barstools. “You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.”

“When the film was wrapped I couldn’t stand being away any longer so I got the first ticket back.” He told her as he kissed his baby’s head. “Harper..” he sung out, “Oh Harper…” He cooed to his baby, “Hello you, who’s my little princess? It’s you, isn’t it. Yes it is, Oh look at you.”

Andy rested her chin in her hand and watched Tom talking to their daughter. He pulled out one of her bottles from the refrigerator and with practiced movements he set about getting it ready. As he waited for it to heat up he stirred whatever he was cooking in the pan, and babbled nonsense at the baby on his hip. Once the milk was warm and he checked the temperature he held the nipple to Harper’s lips. When she started sucking happily he turned around to look at his woman.

“I can’t believe how much she’s grown in such a short amount of time.” He marveled.

“I don’t want her to get any older, but on the other hand, I can’t wait to see what sort of person she’s going to be.” Andy said with a shrug.

“She’s so blonde now. Do you think her hair will stay this color?”

“I have no idea.”

“Her eyes are still that beautiful shade of blue, I thought she would have your eyes.” He looked at her with a smile. “Your grey eyes were one of the first things I noticed about you.”

“You have blue eyes love, she has yours.”

“Are you saying I have beautiful eyes?” He smirked at her.

“Fishing for compliments Mr. Hiddleston?” The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile. “You have gorgeous eyes.”

Before he could respond Harper finished eating and slapped him under his chin. Tom laughed and placed her bottle on the counter so he could prop her on his shoulder so he could pat her firmly on the back. When she was happy and back to giggling he passed her across the counter to her mother.

“I’ve got to take this out now.” Tom murmured as he bent over to pull a large pan. Harper’s eyes started to droop as Andy held her tightly in her arms. Once Tom shut off the oven and the stove he walked around to take Harper from her. “Come along you little, sleepy girl.” As he headed for the stairs he said over his shoulder, “there’s wine in the fridge, why don’t you open it up darling.” 

Andy wandered over and glanced at the food on the stove, some sort of sauce was in the pan and the baking dish had chicken surrounded by vegetables. She smiled and retrieved the bottle Tom had told her about. He had already removed the cork and had put a stopper in the opening; she shook her head at his thoughtfulness. Once the bottle was on the counter she pulled two glasses out of the cabinets and poured wine for them. She moved to pull out dishes so she could set the table but when she glanced at the furniture she saw that he had already set the table. With nothing to distract her she took her glass in hand and wandered over to the windows so she could look down at the city lights. After her first sip she felt strong hands on her hips before arms encircled her waist and she was pulled back against a firm chest.

“I told you I would have you in my arms soon.” Tom said quietly in her ear, his right arm slid up her chest so his long fingers could cover her collarbone and wrap around her shoulder. “Oh Andy, my darling. I’ve missed you.”

They stood that way for a while, simply holding each other in the happiness of their reunion. A moment later Tom kissed her ear and pulled back slightly.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Let’s eat then, shall we.” Tom pulled her hand up so he could take a drink from her wine. Then he took her free hand in his and led her to the seat at the table.

He took their plates and walked into the kitchen; a moment later he returned and placed a plate full of food in front of his woman before setting his plate down in front of his seat. Andy looked down at her plate and her jaw dropped. There was a pile of her favorite cooked vegetables alongside some sliced chicken that was covered in a mushroom sauce.

“I can’t believe you made me dinner.” She remarked to the man across from her.

“Is it to your liking?” He said smugly but his eyes were hesitant.

“This is fantastic.” She cut into the chicken and put it into her mouth, she let a moan escape her as the flavor hit her tongue.

Tom smiled at her and set to eating his own food. They finished their meal with small talk but mostly heated glances being exchanged. Andy licked the tines of her fork clean while looking him dead in the eyes, Tom licked his lips while staring at her chest. When their plates were relatively cleared Andy stood to bring them into the kitchen but Tom jumped to his feet and wrapped her in his arms.

He kissed her until she was breathless and pushed her back onto the table. She reached a hand up to his head but he met it with one of his own and pulled her arm to be restrained against the table top. He kissed her over and over and over again until she was begging for him; he smiled and pulled away from her.

“Will you come to bed with me?” He asked in a husky voice.

“Take me.” Andy answered.


	29. Chapter 29

That morning Tom woke up to the feeling of Andy asleep on his chest. He leaned down and breathed in the smell of her hair and wrapped his arms tighter around her chest without waking her. She moaned softly and pushed her face closer to his neck while she squirmed her legs between his own; he tried reciting everything he could remember from his Latin classes to keep his own morning "awake-ness" from pushing up against her. 

In the middle of his Latin mathematical calculations he felt a sharp bite to his adam’s apple. He let out a sharp gasp and looked down at the siren looking up at him through her eyelashes.

“Easy there love. Don’t start things I can’t make you finish.” He groaned out.

“Good morning my handsome man.” Andy rasped out in a sore voice. “Mmmm my throat is sore.”

“It could be all the screaming you did last night, though why you wasted it into the mattress I don’t know.” He slid his hand down and grasped her ass in a firm grip, pulling her tightly against him.

“We have permanent company, need I remind you?”

“I still think she would’ve slept through-” Tom raised his head as he was interrupted by a loud screech from across the hall. “Maybe she can just read my mind.”

“She has your mind my love. You don’t have a chance.” Andy left a wet kiss on his lips before pulling herself out of the bed and slipping on her robe. She looked back at the man laying naked in her bed and she couldn’t keep back her smile as she walked out of the room.

\---

“Darling, we need to talk about the money.” Tom asked hesitantly as he joined her that afternoon while Harper took her nap.

“What are you talking about?”

“The money for you and Harper.”

“We don’t need any money. With my job I can handle our expenses just fine.” Andy told him as she set her tea cup onto the table.

“That’s just it, I don’t want you to need to work. I want you to be able to pay for our daughter without worrying about it.” Tom explained as he pulled out a handful of papers. “I’ve had some accounts set up so you have access to the money I have.”

Andy didn’t say anything but she felt her heart drop as she feared the conversation they were about to have. Tom laid out the different plans, accounts and access paperwork that they needed to discuss. 

“This flat is paid for automatically; as well as the utilities and insurance. I’ve filed to place you on my insurance, as well as Harper, and I’ve set up life insurance policies for the both of us. All you have to do is sign the forms and agreements, but I also have set up a cash account so you have access to any amount of money you want to pay for both you and Harper.”

“Tom I really appreciate the gesture but I don’t want you paying all of this for me.” She placed her hand on his arm to get him to look at her.

“You’re the mother of my child, Andy. Why wouldn’t I pay for this?”

“That’s it, I’m only the mother of your child,” She raised her hand to stop him as he opened his mouth to contradict. “This is working, what we have, so there’s no need to rush into anything further. I just want to set some things straight.”

Tom rolled his shoulders back and sat up straighter as he listened.

“I have my own health insurance at my work and Harper, as my child, is automatically covered on it. It you would like to pay for that yourself you are more than welcome to, and I will let you know what the premium charges are.” She took a breath and looked over the life insurance policies. “I appreciate you thinking about the life insurance but I do not wish to be named the beneficiary to your policy, if you want to leave money to someone it should only be to your immediate family: wife, children, parents or siblings. I can obtain my own life insurance or I can pay you back for the policy you made for me in Harper’s name.”

“Fine. Keep Harper on your insurance but I want to pay for the premium and any co-payments.” He watched Andy until he saw her nod in agreement and then continued, “The life insurance protects my child and her mother; as my child’s primary caregiver. I want to, in the absolute worse case senario leave money for Harper if something happens to you.”

“I don’t want you to pay for my life insurance.” Andy protested.

“Will you accept the terms of my policy?” He raised his brow at her while he watched her think it over.

“Yes, but I buy my own.” 

“Don’t you want to give her the most money possible?” 

“Are you not going to be able to afford her care? And how do you know how much of a policy I can afford?” Andy was up and pacing the small study at his acquisition.

“I just think that while I can afford it I should buy the most we can.” He threw the papers down in frustration.

“Fine!” She turned and looked at him with her fists clenched at her sides. “But I will pay for the payments you make!”

“Alright, whatever will make you calm down.” He wrote a note down in his book so he could avoid her stare.

“And I will not accept a cash allowance.” Andy said in scorn.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t want access to an account you have created so I can have money. There’s nothing more to talk about.”

“Why won’t you let me help you? We both know I make more money than you do at the moment, why can’t we take that into account?”

“I’m not going to be paid for having your baby!” Andy yelled as she threw her arms up into the air.

“I can’t be around you while you are this unreasonable!” Tom responded and he grabbed his mobile and headed for the door.

Andy stood frozen in the same spot as she heard their front door open and close with a slam. A moment later she heard crying coming through the baby monitors and she headed for the stairs to check on her little girl.

She soothed Harper back to sleep and then wandered around the flat so she could clean different areas and set about making something for dinner. An hour later she had a pie in the oven and Harper was laying on her blanket in the sitting room. Andy was reading to her to keep her entertained while she kicked at the toys dangling above her. When it was close to her dinner time, Andy set about getting her bottle ready for her and arranged the two of them on the sofa so she could feed her little baby. She fed her, burped her and swayed her around for a few minutes until they headed upstairs for her change and bedtime. When Harper was in her crib and gurgling in her sleep, Andy headed back down stairs for her own dinner.

Tom still hadn’t come back so she fixed herself a small plate of food and sat down at the table to eat alone. When she was finished she cleaned her plate and wrapped the food for the refrigerator. Finally she walked up the stairs to her room and climbed into their bed to sleep alone.

At about four in the morning Harper’s cries woke Andy. She stayed in her bed and blinked for a moment before climbing out of the warmth of her blankets and walking to Harper’s room. When she reached the doorway she saw Tom pulling the baby up into his arms.

“I can get her.” Andy told him.

“It’s alright, go back to bed.” He said quietly and moved past her so he could make his way to their kitchen.

Andy moved back to their room and laid in their bed, listening as Tom carefully brought their little girl back up to her room and placed her in bed to sleep. She heard him set her to rights and then gently walk back down the corridor and head down stairs. 

Tom never came to bed that night.

\---

Andy woke up early that morning and pulled her sleepy baby out of her crib and into her arms. She cooed and soothed the little girl clutching at the edges of her robe. She walked carefully into the kitchen and set about making a bottle for the baby who was now hungrily squirming in her arms. When she settled Harper in the crook of her elbow with a full bottle at her lips, she set about making herself some tea.

“Morning.” A raspy voice called to her from the other side of the counter.

Andy knew it was Tom without turning around. “Morning.” She replied without much emotion.

“Is she alright?” 

“I have a lot of practice of taking care of her on my own.” Andy said as she swayed back and forth, “she’s fine.”

Tom didn’t respond so she kept moving about so she could make herself some tea. By the time the kettle had boiled, Harper was finished eating. Andy pulled the metal container off the burner and set about getting Harper back to her usual state. When she was done burping her and cleaning her up, she moved the baby to her hip so she could fix some tea for herself. A few minutes passed and she moved into the sitting room so she could lay Harper down with her toys and sit nearby and enjoy her breakfast.

Tom moved around them as he set the sofa, the one he had slept on, back to normal.

“Will you speak to me?” He asked her quietly.

“You’ve been gone for half a day.” Andy said without looking at him. 

“I swear to you I spent the night here.”

“Where you slept doesn’t exactly help with our trust now does it.”

“Do you think I was with another woman?” Tom asked with a frown as he looked at the woman across from him.

“No.” Andy said quietly without looking up. “How long are you here for?”

“Three more days.” Tom answered begrudgingly. “But I agreed to these projects before I even knew about Harper, I have to keep my engagements.”

“Of course, and yet you spent one of the few days, where?”

“I was...out.” 

“Out?” Andy asked with feigned nonchalance; after waiting a moment she pressed on. “Do you want to continue our conversation?”

“Here is what I have determined.” Tom said in an equally level toned voice. “I will pay for Harper’s medical fees on your insurance. My life insurance policy will remain in place with the two of you as the benefactors. Finally, you will pay me for the life insurance I have put in place for you and you will not touch the account I have put in place. Any problems?”

Andy let his information settle into her mind before she opened her mouth. “No.”

“Then I have a few papers for you to sign so we can move this agreement foreword.”

“Alright.”

Tom gathered the paper’s in question and set about placing them on the dining table so she could sign them.

“If you don’t mind.” Tom asked as he held out a pen for the love of his life. Andy took it and signed where she saw it was necessary. 

When they were finished Andy went over and sat on the floor next to her baby so she could talk to the wriggly little girl. She read phrases to her in Spanish and in English; she also recited both alphabets and the numbers until 10. Tom, in the meantime, gathered up the papers and set about sending them to the correct people so the information would be put in place immediately.


	30. Chapter 30

Tom didn’t spend the night in their bed that night either. 

Andy missed his arms around her and she knew she wouldn’t have long to cherish the feeling but she couldn’t make herself go downstairs to bring him up to her. So the two of them spent the night alone and thinking of the other. 

When Harper awoke in the middle of the night and Andy quickly attended to her so she wouldn’t need to see Tom while she was sleepy and vulnerable. She walked as quietly as she could down the stairs and into the kitchen to find a bottle for her baby. She put a sauce pot on to boil so the sound of the microwave wouldn’t wake up the man on the couch.

Just as she put the warm milk to Harper’s lips the refrigerator door opened. Andy screamed out in surprise, which in turn, made the baby in her arms burst into loud sobs. Tom quickly walked over and took the baby from her and rocked her back and forth to try and stop her crying.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Tom said to Andy over the top of Harper’s head. “I was going to warm some milk for you since you already had the pot warmed.”

Tom shushed the baby until she was blinking in surprise at what had happened.

“When do you leave on Tuesday?” She asked him as she took the, now quiet and hungry, baby from him to finish feeding her.

“Early in the morning.” He mumbled as he drained the water from the pan and quickly poured in enough milk for the two of them.

“And how long are you gone for this time?”

“Six weeks.” He said as he stirred in a touch of vanilla and a small spoonful of sugar. He waited until it started to froth and he poured the warm drink into two mugs.

“Do you want me to move back out? Give you your home back.” Andy asked without meeting his eyes.

“This is your home Andy; all of ours.” He took Harper and the cloth from her and placed her on his shoulder so he could push the mug into Andy’s hands. “This is the most you’ll allow me to care for my family, please don’t take that away from me.”

“Tom, it’s not like that at all. You’ve been taking care of us for so long now.” Andy tried to protest as he continued to shake his head.

“I’m going to take her up to bed. If you need anything else please let me know.” Tom said quietly and carried their daughter up the stairs to sleep in her little bed.

Andy sipped at the drink but couldn’t force herself to swallow around her tears. Eventually she poured the drink in the sink and headed to her bed, looking down at the ground as she passed Tom, so he wouldn’t see the tears dripping down her cheeks.

\---

Early the next morning Tom woke to Harper babbling to no one through the baby monitor that was now sitting on the table by the sofa. He sat up when he realized that he didn’t hear Andy talking to her. As he looked around him he saw a note sitting by the radio.

“Tom,

If you can’t watch her today please call me and I can take her to the day care center at my office. 

\- Andy”

Tom jumped up and went to gather his little girl. “Hello you. Good morning my little princess. Let’s go out today, shall we? We can go to the park and see all the little ducks you like to scream at, and we can get some delicious lunch...well delicious for me, pretty much the same as always for you.” He spoke nonsense to her as they moved about getting her bottle ready for her breakfast.

Once they finished eating he brought her upstairs to find an outfit for her to wear. He looked at clothes hanger after hanger of different outfits until he finally found something that seemed to be all inclusive. He changed her stripped her down and then changed her into a new diaper. He examined the outfit with deeply furrowed brows, trying to understand where it buttoned together and what arm goes in which hole.

“Alright my love, yes I know this is funny but please stop kicking me.” He struggled to pull a random leg into a type of soft pink sleeve. “Come on darling, hold still.” He was quiet as he tried to manipulate a squirming baby into her clothing.

Several minutes later Tom was sweating and out of breath but had successfully dressed Harper in a little pink outfit with a tiny purple skirt around her waist. He placed her in her bed for a moment so he dig around for some type of shoes for her to wear, once he found a matching set he carefully buckled them on her tiny feet.

“Right then,” he looked around the room, “where’s your bag my little one?” His eyes lit up when he found it and he walked around making sure there were enough supplies in the flowery bag. They made their way back down stairs and he gathered up some food for her, then they were able to make their way out the door.

\---

Andy could barely concentrate on her work as she worried about Harper. There was no one she trusted with her baby more than she trusted Tom, but it was such a strange time between them that she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She worked through the pile of manuscripts on her desk while checking her mobile every few minutes to make sure she hadn’t missed a call.

At lunch she sent Tom a text to check in and he replied with a simple, ‘everything is fine.’ When it was time for her to go home she didn’t want to, she didn’t want to go back to that awkward silence between the two of them. She sent another text that she needed to stay late to catch up on some work; then she packed up and headed to a café nearby. 

Andy found a little table and picked at her salad while she drank her coffee and read the book she was in the middle of. When it neared eight at night she headed back to the flat so she could kiss her baby before she was too asleep. She walked quietly through the front door and saw Tom sitting in the living room as she headed up the stairs to see Harper. Her little girl was asleep so she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and moved to her bedroom so she could change her clothes.

\---

Tom saw Andy walk in but she didn’t acknowledge his presence and instead went straight up to the bedrooms. He had gathered up everything he would need for his trip and was sitting in the living room looking at his laptop. After a few minutes Andy came down wearing her nightgown and her robe. She didn’t say anything, just sat down in the seat across from him.

“Is this how it’s going to be?” Andy asked him in a tired voice. “You avoiding any chance of being at home, and me pretending I’m alright with it?”

Tom closed his laptop and set it down on the table without taking his eyes of her. “I thought you loved me Andy.”

“I do. I haven’t wanted to recently, but I do love you.”

“Then why won’t you let me love you, love my family?” Tom cried out in desperation.

“You have been here the entire time. You said you loved us and I believe you. Why have you connected money to love? When did that happen?” Andy angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.

“I want to care for you, to take care of you. I hate that you can’t see that this is me providing and being a member of this household.”

“And you can’t see that me keeping my job and paying for my own bills is a way of being my own person; not just your daughter’s mother and the mother of my daughter.” Andy’s breath caught mid sob and she held her breath until the cries had passed, then she looked back up at Tom. “I still want to be myself. You get to do that, you still go off and do your work and travel. I’m happy that you’re happy, but I need someway of knowing who I am.”

Tom hadn’t thought of this and had no way to respond to what she was saying so he stayed quiet.

“If you need to take that away from me, make me dependent on you so you know that I love you...then I guess it is what it is. I’ll make up your room and your study while you’re away so you can arrange to have some of your things sent over if you like.” Andy looked up at the ceiling and rubbed the wetness from her eyes, then she walked up stairs and into her bedroom.

Tom rested his face in his hands and tried to wrap his head around what had just happened. He was leaving early in the morning, he wouldn’t have another chance to talk to her. He jumped from the sofa and rushed up the stairs, quietly so he wouldn’t wake his baby, but when he reached the bedroom he found the door was locked. He raised an eyebrow at this, since Harper had been born she never had closed the door - let alone lock it. He went to the nursery and saw that a baby monitor had been set up so it was obvious that she had brought one of the radios in her room with her.

The next morning he left extremely early. He kissed his baby and gently placed her back into her crib before gathering his bags and heading off to the airport.


	31. Chapter 31

The next few weeks were difficult for the two of them. Andy was raising her baby on her own; while Tom was forced to live without the new piece of himself. Andy would skype with him every evening so he could talk to his little girl and see her as much as possible. Some nights Andy would sit on the floor with Harper in her lap so Tom could see all of her and how her little hands and feet reacted to the sound of his voice.

Tom and Andy didn’t talk much, besides asking questions and giving updates about the daughter they shared. Andy did call Emma and arrange for her to come and stay for a bit while Tom was gone, but they didn’t exactly tell Tom why she was coming in the first place.

“Darling, I’ve shipped over about a million books and I’ve arranged for some new bedroom furniture to be delivered as well. Did any of it get there yet?” Emma asked over the line.

“It has, the desk got here yesterday. And you’re sure this is what he likes?” Andy chewed her nail as she looked at the new furniture.

“It’s very similar to what he has in London, so what’s the worse that could happen?”

“But you’ll be here tomorrow, yes?”

“I’ll be there! By the way I’m staying with you, we can do the bed first and I’ll sleep in there.”

“Oh I’m so glad. I can’t wait to see you!” Andy moved her mobile from her face so she could look at the text she had just received. “Oh christ, Em, listen I’ve got to skype Tom so he can see Harper.”

“That’s fine, I’ll get it all out of you when I see you in person.” Before Andy could argue Emma head ended the call.

She set her laptop up and sat on the floor with Harper as they waited for the call to connect. When they saw Tom’s face on the screen Harper screamed out in recognition.

“Hello my little princess! There’s my beautiful girl, oh look at you.”

Andy pulled her to her little feet and held her hands in her own. “Let’s show Daddy what you can do now.” She let Harper’s little fingers wrap around her own index fingers so she could stand, a bit wobbly, in front of the computer. “Look at us standing, she’s such a big girl, aren’t you Harper?”

“Oh my baby! You’re doing so well, just look at you standing there. Harper….my little princess... can you hear me darling?” Harper looked at the screen and let out a giggle. “You’re such a smart girl, look at you go my darling.” 

They continued on like this for several minutes before Harper wanted to be sitting down and listen to her father talk to her instead. When she had finally grown too tired she snuggled into her mother’s lap and fell asleep. 

Andy moved to close the laptop when Tom called out for her to stop.

“Can we talk? I miss hearing your voice directed at me.”

“That’s not a good idea Tom. See you tomorrow.” She closed the laptop so he couldn’t see the depression on her face.

The next evening Andy collected Harper from day care as usual but she rushed to get home so she could see her friend who was waiting for her. When they came through the door she saw a few cases and Emma moving in between them.

“Oh Harper my little darling!” Emma cried out as she rushed to pull the baby from Andy’s arms and into her own. Andy let Harper’s aunt watch her baby as she walked upstairs and changed into more comfortable clothes, she came back in a pair of sweats and a light shirt. She was treated to the sight of Harper being danced around the sitting room in a fit of giggles as she bounced along.

She smiled at the pair and moved to the kitchen to get a bottle ready, once it was she brought it out to the new aunt and handed it to her so she could feed the whiny infant she held. Emma moved to stand near the windows as Harper wrapped her fingers around the hand that held her bottle to her lips.

“I was thinking about just ordering in something for dinner and you and I can make the bed up.” Andy called out to them as she looked through the menus in the kitchen before she decided on some sandwiches from a nearby place. She called and order a few different things, knowing that Emma wasn’t picky and had the same tastes as herself. 

The women sat together on the sofa and played with Harper as she told them stories in her little babbles and hand gestures. When her eyes started to get heavy Emma took her upstairs while Andy set about getting their food and setting it out.

“So have you guys talked since he left?” Emma asked after she had swallowed a bite of food. She watched the woman sitting across from her as she waited to hear her answer.

“We talk about Harper and how she’s been, nothing other than that really.”

Emma knew about how things stood between them when he left and she understood Andy’s position but she hated the rift it had caused.

“My Dad wasn’t around much when we were kids, he left us for my Mum to be responsible for. It might help explain why he’s being so stubborn about all these stupid money issues.” She cracked a smile before saying, “this is unusual, a couple fighting about too much money.”

Andy tried not to but she couldn’t keep the giggle back anymore. “I know, I know.” She stood up and brushed the crumbs off her shirt.

The girls got up and moved to the new bedroom downstairs. The bedframe and mattress had already been put into place, now all they had to do was put all the bedding on the new furniture. Once all the blankets and pillows were in order Andy gave Emma a kiss on the cheek goodnight and headed up to her room for the evening.

The next night when Tom skyped Andy he saw that she was holding the laptop but there was no Harper in sight.

“Andy?” He asked warily, “is everything alright?”

“Yes, Emma and I were just going to put Harper in her bath, do you want us to wait or do you want to be involved with the excitement?”

“That sounds lovely.”

Andy moved the laptop and set it on the counter in the bathroom so he could see the bathtub with a few inches of water in it. 

“Hello darling!” Emma called out as she came into view of the camera, she had Harper in her arms and she moved so she could see her father.

“Hello Sweetheart, hello princess!” Tom called out to the two of them.

Emma handed the baby to Andy so she could set about taking her clothes off and putting her in the water. “How’s work?”

“Slow but good, a lot of early mornings, but the weather is nice.” Tom said with a smile.

He watched as Emma moved to kneel alongside the tub with Andy so they could play with some of the toys in the water. Tom’s heart ached to see such a wonderful scene from a computer screen, but he took what he could get. He rested his chin in his hand as he watched the women playing with the little girl who was screaming and splashing the water in her excitement. Harper finally allowed herself to be washed while she had a clean cloth in her mouth and scrunched between her pudgy little fingers. Tom smiled when some of the water trickled over her face and she shook her hands and blinked in shock before sticking her tongue out at her Aunt.

When Andy pulled Harper from the water and wrapped her in a big fluffy towel, she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

“You go ahead, I’ll take care of this.” Emma said quietly to Andy as she moved to drain the water. “Bye Tom, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later Em.”

Andy held the sleepy baby to her chest and her laptop in the other hand so she could move back out to her bedroom. She laid Harper on the bed and moved to lay down next to her so they could both see Tom on the camera.

“My sleepy girls. Oh my Harper I miss you so much, I’ll see you very soon my little princess.” He cooed at her until her eyes closed and stayed that way, her lips pushed into a little pout in her sleep.

Andy stayed for a moment and then sat up to shut the laptop.

“Please Andy.”

“What is it Tom?”

“Won’t you talk to me?” He stared into the camera to try and change her mind.

“Tom, we’ve been talking this entire time. I’m sorry. I’ve been talking to Emma and she told me about how hard it was for you all with your Father gone most of the time.” She looked down at her lap and then back up at him. “She also pointed out how silly it is to be fighting over having too much money. I’ve done what you asked of me.”

He raised his eyebrow in confusion of this statement.

“I’ve sent your accountant’s office all the paperwork for Harper so they have been paying for her pediatrician visits and insurance. They also won’t take my money for my own life insurance policy.” Tom tried to interrupt her at this part but she kept talking. “And I’ve gone ahead and used the money in the account you set up, I wasn’t sure if you had noticed or not but I have. We needed some furniture and things around the flat so I ordered them.”

Tom opened and closed his mouth a few times at this information. He hadn’t thought to check his accounts, he had someone to manage his money for him and he had given them permission to grant Andy anything she asked for.

“Andy you didn’t have to if you didn’t want to do this, I didn’t mean you had to-”

“It doesn’t matter. Harper is happy, healthy and well taken care of. I’m a grown woman, I can figure these things out on my own.” She looked to the door of the bathroom and then back at the computer to the concerned man looking at her. “In the meantime, your sister is here so she and I are moving some things around here and spending some nice time together. Don’t worry Tom.”

“I can’t not worry Andy.”

“Everything is alright. I’ll call you tomorrow.”


	32. Chapter 32

When Tom got back in town he knew that he would be coming home to an empty house. He dropped his bags in the sitting room before moving to the kitchen and pouring some water for himself. He looked around in confusion, Andy had said she had gotten some new furniture but he didn’t see any big changes to the rooms he was in. 

Thinking that maybe she had set up the study for them, he moved to look into that room. She had furnished it, however, as he looked around he saw that the bookshelves contained quite a few of his own books but nothing that looked like hers. There was one desk with a chair, but no other furnishings beside a small table and a few lamps scattered throughout the room. 

He frowned when he saw that the other room had been made to look similar to the one he had in his flat in London. He pulled open the closet door and then the dresser drawers to see that the clothes he had left here had been moved into this room. He closed his eyes and slammed a hand down onto the dresser in his new room. 

\---

When Andy came home that evening she saw the lights on in the living room and tensed when she realized Tom was back. She moved to put Harper on the floor so she could crawl around. She looked in the living room and the kitchen but couldn’t see him anywhere, finally she heard a squeal from her baby and moved to check on her.

Tom had walked out of the study and had tossed his baby girl up into his arms so he could kiss her.

“How was your flight?” She asked him a smile.

“Fine, arrived on time for once.” He said as he tickled Harper with kisses all over her face and hands. “I hadn’t started dinner, I wasn’t sure when you would be home.”

“That’s alright, I’ll fix something. Are you alright keeping an eye on her?” He nodded yes so she moved to the kitchen to start making some food for the two of them.

When they sat down at the table Andy sat Harper close to her seat so she could feed her some food while she ate her own but Tom pulled the chair closer to him and took the baby food from Andy’s hands. Tom struggled for a moment to get Harper to open her mouth but with some cooeing and giggles he was able to talk her into eating a small spoonful before she pushed most of it out of her mouth. 

“How the hell do you do this?” Tom asked Andy in a frustrated voice, he turned to look at her and saw that she was covering her mouth to hold back her laughter. “Oh you’re a lot of help!” He yelled in mock anger.

Andy moved a chair close to his and pulled the spoon from his hand. “Fill the spoon about half way and move it around a bit to distract her, then scrape it onto the roof of her mouth.” She told him as he watch intently as she did just that. 

When Harper closed her lips a lot of the food came back out with it and Tom turned to look at her quickly as though to say ‘SEE!’ but Andy used the spoon to scrape the extra food off her lips and back onto the spoon.

“It’s alright, that’s just how it goes, this is a long process. Just take the extra and feed it to her again.

She placed some more food into the spoon and Tom tried his best to wrap his long fingers around the tiny utensil.

“Here we go Harper, show Daddy what a good girl you can be. Open up and eat your dinner.” Andy said in a gentle voice to try and get Harper to behave for her father as she did for her. When the baby did eat what Tom was giving her, Andy smiled and laughed gently. “Good girl, baby. Look at how smart you are.”

Andy brought her plate over so she could eat her dinner quickly and watch after Harper while Tom ate his. Whenever the little girl fussed about eating, Andy would talk to her and encourage her until she did take a bite.

“She doesn’t listen to me, only you.” Tom said sadly.

“She knows you and is happy to see you, you saw that yourself when we came home. She’s just not used to you doing the little day to day things for her. After you spend sometime with her she will act the same way towards you as she does for me.” Andy reassured him with a hand on his shoulder.

They finished eating and Andy moved to take the little girl so Tom could eat but he wouldn’t give her up. Instead he moved into the living room to let her walk around while she held to his long, strong fingers.

Andy stood up and cleared the table, placing Tom’s plate aside so he could eat later. Then she went back to the chairs and cleaned the mess Harper had made while playing with her dinner. When she moved to look at the other two Harper was already falling asleep in Tom’s arms. He paused so she could give the baby a kiss goodnight and then he moved to take her upstairs to her room.

Tom came back down to see that Andy had reheated his food and set it out for him with a glass of Jameson as well. 

“Thank you darling.” He sat down and hungrily shoveled the food into his mouth. “I’ve missed your cooking. How was work?”

“It’s been very good so far, some very interesting things coming into the market.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He finished his food and then took a deep drink of the whiskey. He leaned back and watched Andy sip her own glass of amber liquid. “So, the downstairs rooms?”

“I thought you would want your own space so Emma helped me pick the furniture and she went to your flat in London to send some of your things over. If you don’t like any of it of course it can be changed.”

“I have my own room now?”

“When you left here you were less than pleased with me. I have done as you asked but I’m sure you would rather sleep in your own bed than on the sofa like you chose to the last time you were here.”

Tom looked down at his lap. “I regret how we spent that time together.”

“As do I.” Andy finished off her whiskey. “You chose to leave, and you chose to sleep out here and not spend time with me.”

“I was hurt, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Tom. I didn’t understand how important it was to you. I think with the room it’s probably better this way. We’ve spent a long time being friends and then we were suddenly thrown together in one of the closest ways possible. It makes sense that we need time and space to learn to be together.”

“Alright my Darling.” Tom stood up and took his glass into the kitchen so he could refill it; a moment later he called out to her, “where’s the whiskey?”

“Oh, I thought you had seen.” Andy stood and took her own glass with her as she gestured for him to follow her. 

They walked into his new study and she showed him an elegant side cupboard that was made to be a bar. Tom smiled and moved around her so he could look at the different bottles and fixtures that were housed there. He found the whiskey and poured a few fingers into his glass before holding Andy’s hand steady so he could fill hers as well.

“This is beautiful and very thoughtful. Thank you.” He held his arm to her and she moved forward so that he could give her a hug.

Andy stepped back and smiled at him. “If you want any of these books back at your house we can send them to Emma and she’ll put the right back where they belong.”

“Darling, this is my home, they belong here.” Tom looked at the room on the shelves and turned to face her. “None of your books are in here?”

“I wanted you to able to have this as your own space: your own library and your own space to work in.” Andy told him with a shrug.

“Where are all of your books?”

“I have some shelves up in my room.”

“I appreciate what you’ve done here. This is a perfect place for me to work and I love it.” He said with a smile as he walked forward and pulled her hands into his. “Darling, why don’t you add your books here as well and we can share the study? I know you don’t work much from home but I want you to share the space.” 

“I will if you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Please let me know when you’re ready and I’ll carry them down for you.”

“Maybe we could work on that this weekend?” Andy smiled when he nodded in agreement. “Right, well I better get to bed. Do you want me to take Harper with me in the morning?”

“I don’t have plans, can I keep her?”

“Of course, you don’t ever need to ask.” Andy touched the side of his face gently. “Good night Tom, I’m glad you’re back.”

Tom stood in the center of his study and watched as his woman walked out of the room and up the stairs. He finished his whiskey and walked to the kitchen and put his empty glass in the sink. He walked back to the landing and looked up at the stairs for a moment before heading into his room to try and get some sleep of his own.


	33. Chapter 33

When Andy got home the next day she could hear music coming from the living room and Harper’s shrieks of laughter. She walked in to see Tom, barefooted, lightly skipping around while Harper tried to crawl after him and catch his toes. Tom was laughing at this game they had started. He looked up and saw Andy watching with a smile on her face, at the pause in his movements Harper grabbed his ankle and he pretended the grip made him fall; he gracefully landed on the carpet and rolled onto his back. Harper cried out at her success and proceeded to climb on top of his chest.

“How was work darling?” Tom asked her as tiny fingers tugged on the collar of his shirt. 

“It was good, but I missed you two.” She leaned down to kiss the top of her baby’s head and push a kiss to Tom’s forehead. As she tried to straighten up Tom’s long fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist and she was pulled down to the floor with them.

She landed much less gracefully and her elbow caught Tom’s lower abdomen. He groaned at the unexpected hit and curled onto his side in pain.

“Are you alright?” Andy cried and pulled Harper into her lap so Tom was free to hold his stomach. “Oh I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine.” He said after a second. He pulled his shirt up so he could look at the offended area but there wasn’t a mark. “Next time, aim a bit higher.”

He looked up to see Andy’s eyes were fixed on his bared stomach with her lower lip between her teeth. He smiled and pretended to forget to pull his shirt back down. “You know what would make me feel better though?”

“Hmm?” Andy said as her eyes snapped back up to his. 

“A kiss.” He smiled and tapped his lips with his finger.

Andy smiled at him and leaned over to press her lips against his. His hand found it’s way into her hair and he groaned at the long lost feeling of having her like this. Just as he touched his tongue to her lower lip there was a cry from the forgotten baby between the two of them. They pulled apart with a laugh and Tom laughed harder at the blush forming across Andy’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry princess, were we not paying attention to you? Come here you little monster.” He pulled Harper back onto his chest and balanced her to stand up as he held her between his big hands. 

Andy settled herself sitting cross-legged so she could watch the two of them talk. She rested her hand on Tom’s stomach and laughed when the muscles clenched. “What?”

“That tickles.” He said as the baby jumped on his chest a bit.

“Oh?” Andy said with feigned innocence, and lightly danced her fingertips along his skin. She laughed when he jumped and tried to move away from her hand.

“Stop!” He cried out as he laughed and tried to hold Harper up as well. Finally he gave up and put the baby on the ground before he tackled Andy.

“No!” She screamed before his fingers were tickling her sides and legs. She tried to crawl away but he had her pinned to the ground between his legs. She pushed against his chest to try and move him but he ignored her and continued to tease her until she was gasping for breath between laughs.

Harper was sitting a foot away laughing and clapping at the scene.

“Do you give up?” He asked with a grin as he moved to avoid her flailing hands.

“Yes!” She cried out as tears rolled down her face from laughing so hard.

Tom leaned down and kissed her throat and then sat back a bit. “I accept your surrender.” He used his thumbs to wipe her eyes and then he turned to look at their little girl and back to her mother. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

He hopped to his feet and reached down to pull Andy up next to him. He kissed her quickly and then walked to the kitchen. Andy looked down and saw Harper engrossed in a conversation with her stuffed elephant; so she followed the man to see what he was up to. He was pulling a pasta dish out of the oven and turning off the heat under a pot on the top of the cooker.

“You made dinner?” 

“I did.” He turned and winked at her as he poured her a glass of wine. “Why don’t you grab our little monster and take a seat.”

“Do you want me to get out her dinner?”

“I found some orange goo, is that alright?” He held the container up for her to see.

“It’s yams you idiot.”

“Right then, yams it is. Off you go.” He said with a jerk of his chin towards the table.

Andy laughed at him, but headed back into the sitting area to pick up Harper and bring her to the table. She got her settled into her chair and tied a cloth around her neck while they waited for their food. Once she was settled, Tom walked in with full plates of food for themselves and then went back to retrieve Harper’s food.

Tom settled himself next to Harper’s chair and then looked over at Andy with a self satisfied smirk on his lips.

“Observe.” He told her as he carefully filled the little spoon. He talked to the little girl until she laughed and he pushed the food gently into her open mouth; when the extra was pushed out he scraped it from her lips and fed it to her again.

“Well done, sir.” Andy said and Tom beamed at her praise and his own success.

She couldn’t touch her food while she was watching him with their little girl. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, he seemed to live and breath with her every movement. Andy sighed in relief at having such good luck to have found a man who cared for them the way Tom did. When Tom had successfully fed the yams to Harper he leaned down and kissed her little nose.

“Who’s Daddy’s little girl? Such a good girl, my little Harper.” Tom cooed at her before pulling her up out of her chair. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll put her to bed, then you and I can have a nice dinner together.” He held the baby so Andy could give her a good night kiss and then he placed a kiss of his own on the top of Andy’s head.

Andy fidgeted with her fork while she waited for him to come back and join her for dinner. She was thinking about refilling her wine glass when arms wrapped around her and Tom placed a kiss on her temple. He took her glass from her and went into the kitchen to refill it. He came back and joined her at the table.

“Eat, darling.” He said as he dug into his own food.

“You make a great house-husband.” She teased him with a smile. “Watching the kids, dinner on the table when I come home.”

“The laundry is done and I put the clean dishes away.” He said with a slow wink.

“Oh, now that might be the sexiest thing you have ever said to me.” Andy swooned in her chair with her hand thrown across her forehead.

“I’m about to get dirty.” He said in a deep voice before he said, “I folded your laundry and put it away.”

“Oh how I want to keep you.”

“You don’t have a choice; I am here to stay.” He told her sternly until he cracked a grin. “I may have overly folded your pants, but I couldn’t help it, I love beautiful, silky, underthings.”

“Tom you’re here for longer this time, right?”

“I leave next Friday.” He said quietly.

“Oh.” Andy said and looked down at her plate so she didn’t seem too disappointed. “How long are you gone for?”

“Three months.”

“Right.”

They ate their food in silence while they both thought over what had been said. Andy did her best to keep eating so it wouldn’t appear that she was upset over this news.

“I need to honor my commitments Andy.”

“I understand.” She nodded to show that had heard him. She couldn’t eat anymore so she rose and gathered up her plate and glass. 

She moved back to the room to take Tom’s dishes as well but she was stopped by his hand on her arm.

“You’re angry with me.”

“No, I’m sad that I only see you for a few days before you are gone for such long stretches.” Andy said and pulled her arm from him so she could gather up his plate and retreat into the kitchen.

Tom stood and followed her. He stayed at the entry and quietly watched as she hunched over the sink and took a deep breath. He walked up behind her and placed his hand lightly on her lower back, hoping she would turn and look at him.

“Three months? Will you be here for Harper’s birthday?” 

“There is nothing that would make me miss that.” He said passionately.

“Alright.” She dried her hands off with the tea towel and then walked out of the room. “I’m going up to bed, it’s been a long week. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“But I was hoping…” Tom let the end of the sentence drift off as he watched Andy turn her sad eyes to look at him. “Of course, Darling. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He walked over and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then watched her walk up the stairs to her bedroom.


	34. Chapter 34

On Sunday afternoon Tom was carrying down armfuls of books from Andy’s room and down to their study. Harper was taking her afternoon nap so the two of them had a bit of time to themselves.

“Why can’t we just take all of them down?” Tom asked for the third time since they had started.

“Because I like to keep some of them close to me.” Andy told him without looking back at him. 

Tom stood behind her and waited as she moved her fingers gently over the spines of her books. Sometimes she would pull out a handful of novels, while other times she chose only one out of the set.

“Darling? Is there any reason to this? Something you can explain so I can help you?”

“It’s just how I feel, you don’t need to be here for this, I can do it.” Andy said with a shy smile.

“I just don’t like seeing you stretch up like that to reach everything.” He grinned before adding, “I enjoy seeing you up on your toes, but I don’t want you to tire yourself out.”

“There is nothing that I enjoy more than moving my precious books around.” She pulled a handful down and handed it to the man at her shoulder. “I was thinking that you could have a bookshelf and I could have one? I like to organize my books a bit differently, show a bit of myself in them.”

“Darling you can organize anything however you want. You can move mine or yours however you wish.”

“Cooking, helping with the chores, and now serenading me with books? You know how to impress me.”

Tom set his things down and took the books from Andy so he could pull her up into his arms. “I promised to spend my entire life winning you over, I will never stop.”

“Tom, it’s alright.” She smiled at him and touched the side of face. When she moved to step away he only tightened his grip on her. He bent at the knees so he could leave a kiss on her neck. 

“Alright young man, you have work to do.” She said with a frown, trying to hold back her smile.

“Young man? I am in my thirties, young lady.”

“Either way, you have books that you promised to move. On you get.” She flicked her wrists at him to get him to hurry.

“My woman is a slave driver.” He moaned as he carried a large pile of books downstairs.

Andy pulled book after book from her shelves until she was satisfied with her selection. She carried the rest of the books downstairs so she could meet with Tom in the study.

“Andy, you said you would wait for me.” Tom said with a frown when he saw her come into the room with an armful of books.

Andy looked at the pile of books sitting on the floor. Tom had fought with himself about leaving the books on the floor and not placing them on the shelves but he hated to tell her no. She walked around the piles and picked random books before arranging them in certain orders on the shelves. Tom leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms across his chest while he watched her pick and choose different books. When he realized that he wouldn’t understand how she was possibly organizing the shelves, he took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen.

After over an hour of Andy working in the study she came out to find Tom stretched out on the couch. He saw her come out of the room and he jumped to his feet. 

“I’ve made you something.” He told her with a grin as he rushed back into the kitchen. He pulled a pitcher from the refrigerator; it was full of fruit and an almost clear liquid.

“Did you make me sangria?” Andy asked with a smile as he poured her a glass and spooned some fruit into it as well. “You hate sweet drinks.”

“But you like sweet drinks, and I do like you.” He walked over to her so he could push the glass into her hand and he kissed the tip of her nose. “Can I see your masterpiece?”

“It’s nothing, but of course you can.” 

They walked into the room and Tom saw her books separated by picture frames, statues and small flower pots. The room looked like it belonged to her as well. 

“This looks wonderful, darling. I like feeling you in here as well.” 

“It looks nice, I’m excited.” She took a sip from her glass and pulled an orange slice into her mouth. “This is delicious, thank you.”


	35. Chapter 35

The months went by quicker than Andy expected. She was busy with work and when she wasn’t at the office she had a mobile toddler to keep two eyes on. Tom stayed in contact as often as he could, but with his film in the middle of production, he had fewer and fewer days to talk to his family.

With a month to go until Harper’s birthday Andy was trying to put everything together so her daughter had a good birthday, and the family had a chance to see her. She found a little venue that had a beautiful outdoor patio; with ducks, rabbits, cats and enough birds to keep her baby entertained. She set about booking the place and having food and drinks provided for the adults.

She was receiving more and more invitation responses and it looked like most of their friends and family would be able to attend. Emma was planning on arriving a few days early to help set up, and it looked as though Elsa would be doing the same. Michael had even set aside a few days in his busy schedule so he could make the celebration.

Tom had to remain on location up until the last minute so his flight was booked for the night before the party, but he insisted that of course he would make it there in plenty of time. Andy tried to not worry over his arrangements, this was his choice and she had plenty on her plate as it was.

The morning of Harper Ophelia’s first birthday Andy opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She thought about the night that Harper was born, or the morning actually. She had no idea that she would feel this content with her life as the mother of her beautiful baby girl. She climbed out of bed and walked over to her daughter’s bedroom and pulled the baby up into her arms.

“Good morning my little girl. Happy Birthday! You are so perfect, I knew you would be beautiful and just as smart. You’re going to have so much fun today, everybody who loves you will be there and you’ll get so many presents. Isn’t that exciting?” Andy talked to the little girl in her arms as they swayed back and forth.

When she walked downstairs to fix Harper some cereal Emma was awake and had beaten her to the kitchen. Emma took the baby from her and moved to feed her some breakfast.

“Have you heard from Tom?” Andy asked as she looked at the clock, he should be arriving within a few hours.

“He called Ben last night, Ben’s going to fetch him from the airport. Everything should be on schedule.” She spooned some cereal up for Harper and then turned to look at Andy who was still in her nightgown. “Go take a shower, you look terrible.”

“Love you too!” She called out as she climbed the stairs back up to her room.

\---

Andy and Emma hadn’t had a moment to sit down since they left the house; Elsa on the other hand, didn’t seem to be affected by the last minute work involved with the party. 

“Hand me those papers.” Elsa called out and Andy handed over a roll of pink and purple streamers for her to stretch from one corner of the patio to the other.

“Elsa, come down. It looks wonderful.” Emma begged the tiny blonde woman.

“Just one more. This is so beautiful Andy, I am keeping this in mind for India’s next.” Elsa climbed down from the ladder and looked around at her work. “I like this.”

Andy looked at her watch and then back at the women. “Alright, they’ll be here soon. Diana should be here any min-” She saw the woman in question approaching them with Harper in her arms. “Oh Diana, thank you so much for watching her. I’m so glad you could make it.”

Andy took the baby and looked at her outfit. Her little blonde curls looked adorable with her big, pink cheeks. She was wearing a cute little dress with a pink tutu, every bit of the little princess her father had nick named her. She looked around and still didn’t see the father in question.

“Emma, anything?” She asked, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice so Harper wouldn’t hear.

“No, but it’s got to be because of the craziness at the airport.” Emma said as she pulled the baby out of her arms. “He wouldn’t miss this.”

A few hours later Harper had barely touched the ground as she was passed from one adult to the other. She was now trying to chase the little bunnies while Chris and Elsa watched her on the grass.

“Andy, why isn’t Tom here?” Michael asked as he pushed a plate of food to rest in front of her.

“He needed to work until the last minute, he said he would be here this morning.” Andy replied and she pushed the food around her plate with her fork. “Ben is supposed to be picking him up.”

“How has our trouble maker been? She is absolutely beautiful by the way, I blame that entirely on you.” 

“She’s perfect. She’s so smart, she’s doing so well with the other children in our day care, she’s so quick to learn.” Andy couldn’t take her eyes off her baby as she talked about her. “I couldn’t have imagined a better child.”

“Any child of yours would be magnificent.”

“Michael.” She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. “Always such a charmer. So what’s next for you?”

“Some time in LA, we’ll see what happens from there.”

“No Mrs. Fassbender in the future?”

“Not just yet, but there’s no way to know what’ll happen.” Michael said as he shoveled in a forkful of rice.

A few hours later Andy was settled at the front of everyone with a barely attentive Harper in her lap. She opened all of the gifts that everyone had been so thoughtful to bring them. Some were toys for Harper, while others were tools for Andy to take care of the little girl. 

“Oh thank you so much, Emma. This is perfect.” Andy gushed as she unwrapped a large basket of bath toys for the little girl. She looked around the room and handed Harper one of her new toys that sang a lullaby when it was squeezed.

\---

Andy was woken around two in the morning by Harper calling for some attention. She pulled her robe over her shoulders and made her way into the little nursery across the corridor. Before she could walk into the room she saw that a man was holding her baby against his chest.

“Tom?”

He turned to look at her and he gave a tired smile. “I just got in, I think she just needs a change.”

“Right, do you want me to take care of it?” She asked as she held her arms out.

“I’ve got it darling.”

“Thank you.” Andy said as she turned and went back into her room.

The next morning Andy brought Harper down to the kitchen so she could fix her some breakfast. She set about fixing her cereal and some coffee for herself. Once the two of the were sitting at the table she saw Tom walk over from his place on the sofa. She ignored him and continued to feed her baby.

“Andy, listen.” Tom said as he joined them at the table. “It wasn’t my fault. One of the girls on set needed some help getting the scene right. I stayed and helped her get the character in the right mood, I couldn’t help it.”

Andy didn’t respond, only continued to talk to the baby in front of her. When she had finished her breakfast she walked to the kitchen to bring back a damp cloth to clean her up. Harper was ready for something to do so Andy brought her into the living room and placed her with her toys. Once she was otherwise engaged she went back into the kitchen so she could clean her mess.

“Did yesterday go alright?” Tom asked from the doorway.

“I can’t believe you!” Emma called out once she caught sight of her brother. “We waited all day for you to show up and rather than hearing from you, we just waited.”

“I tried, really I did everything in my power to get here!” He defended himself.

“Your flight was delayed?” She asked in curiosity.

“No, I...um...I stayed on set too long.”

“So you didn’t do everything in your power.” Emma walked into the kitchen and accepted the cup of coffee that Andy had made for her. “Mum’s still here, you should see her before she leaves. Chris is here as well but I assume you know that.”

“Emma, it’s alright. Go grab a shower and then come and watch Harper for me, if you would.” Andy said as she pushed gently on Emma’s back to lead her back to the room she had been staying in.

“I think I’m going to take a shower as well, will you watch Harper, or do you want me to wait for Em?” Andy asked Tom in a level voice.

“Will you let me explain?” He asked in a pained voice.

“I thought you had, you stayed on the set for too long and missed your flight. What else is there to explain?”

“I honestly thought I would be here in time.” 

“Do you want me to wait for Emma to come back or do you want to watch Harper?”

“I’ll stay with her.” Tom answered in a low voice.

Andy nodded and walked up to her room so she could get dressed for the day. She showered and dressed, put on some make up and a bit of perfume. When she was ready she walked down the stairs to see what was waiting for her.

Emma and Tom were in a fierce discussion in the kitchen while Harper played with her toys in the sitting room. When she joined them they stopped talking immediately. 

“Are you off to see your Mum? I have some food I want you to bring, she can take it on the plane.” Andy said to either of the siblings.

She readied the sweets in a Tupperware and then walked it back to the front door. Emma held out her hands and Andy handed the food to her. 

“I’ll see you later.” Emma said as she kissed her cheek; then she walked out of the front door.

Andy moved to sit in the study, she could relax and still hear Harper if she needed her. When she sat down she saw that Tom had followed her 

“I waited for you.” Andy said in a quiet voice. “I kept hoping you would show up so I watched the front door the entire time.”

“This was important, she needed help finding her character, I was able to help her find her place as an actress.” Tom argued.

“Then there is nothing more to say. Harper had a lovely time yesterday, I’m sure she didn’t notice. But as she grows older she will notice if you don’t keep your promises. You need to keep that in mind.”

Tom didn’t answer, only looked over at the bookshelves and at the picture frames there. Andy sipped her coffee and tried to keep herself calm. 

“When do you go back?” Andy asked after a few minutes.

“Tomorrow.”

“Right,” Andy stood and gave him a smile. “Harper was given some lovely gifts, would you like to see them?”


	36. Chapter 36

Two weeks later Andy received a call from the day care center at her work.

“Is Harper alright? I’ll be there immediately.” Andy rushed to say before the woman stopped her.

“Harper is fine, Senora, but her father is here to take her home and he asked that we call you.” The woman sounded confused at this change of protocol.

“Can I speak with him?” Andy waited as the woman gave the phone to the other person. “Tom?”

“Andy.” He breathed out a sigh of relief once he heard her voice. “Can you come home now? It’s important.”

Andy looked around at the people on the floor before she answered, “I’ll be right there.” Tom held Harper to his chest and swayed on the spot while he waited for his woman to join them.

“Tom? Is everything ok? You’re scaring me.” Andy said as she rushed up to him and her daughter.

“Everything is fine. I have some things I need to talk to you about, and I don’t think I can wait any longer.” Tom explained as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front doors.

The cab ride was pretty quiet, except for murmured conversations with Harper. They got home and Tom moved to the kitchen to fix some lunch for his baby. Andy placed her bags down and sat on the sofa to try and prepare herself for whatever Tom needed to say to her. She watched as Tom fed the little girl, while Harper looked over at her for reassurance. Andy smiled and blew kisses at her princess, to hide the anxiety in her mind. Finally Tom cleaned Harper up and took her up to her room for a nap.

Andy alternated between chewing her thumbnail and her pointer. When Tom finally walked back down the stairs Andy had pulled her hair from the top of her head and was running her fingers through it before tugging at the ends. Tom sat down in the chair across from her before lowering his face into his hands.

“Andy I missed my only baby’s first birthday.” He said in a heartbreaking voice.

“I told you it’s alright, she probably didn’t even notice.”

“I noticed. I chose my work over my own daughter. I will never get that moment back.” Tom looked up at Andy and he had tears on his cheeks. “I can’t believe I did that. You should have been furious with me. Harper is going to see pictures of her first birthday and wonder why her father isn’t in them.”

Andy stayed silent, she didn’t know what to say at the moment.

“I don’t live for myself any longer; I live for my little girl. Andy, you are the most wonderful mother I could have dreamed for my baby. I want to be there for you and for our daughter, but I’m a selfish man. I’ve spent my whole life fighting for my career and now I don’t know how to stop accepting every project.”

Tom took a deep breath and looked to the side so he could clear the water from his eyes.

“I need your help. I need your help to be there for Harper. Will you tell me when I need to come home, when I need to help Harper with something, or when I need to just take a step back from work and be here for my family?”

“Tom, you don’t need me to tell you what to do…” Andy tried to explain but he cut her off.

“Andy. You are the love of my life. I will love you always and forever, please help me be the father I think I can be.” 

“You’re a wonderful father.”

“I missed her fucking birthday Andrea! She has been alive for one fucking year and I couldn’t get myself back in town to see it. I will never forgive myself for being that selfish.” He stood up and paced the length of the room. “Please help me. I need you Andy.”

He fell to his knees and buried his face in his palms.

“Tom, it’s alright.” She tried to pull him to his feet and when she failed, she sunk to the floor next to him. “Tom please, will you look at me.”

He rose his face to her but his eyes were trained on the floor. 

“I have lost count of the times I have thanked God for giving me a man who loves his daughter more than anything else. I see the way you look at her, I know she means more to you than anything else in the world. I am so lucky to have you Tom. You just need some practice.”

“Andy, you should have screamed at me for missing something so important.” He rose up and gripped her upper arms between his hands as he shook her roughly. When he felt no resistance and saw the panic in her eyes he let her go immediately.

“Fucking, fuck. I am a fucking nightmare of a father and a fucking horrible person in exchange.” He threw himself into one of the chairs and covered his face with his hand. 

Andy stayed on the floor and didn’t move or say another word, she didn’t know what would set him off in the mood he was in. Suddenly Tom surged to his feet and Andy did her best not to flinch at his sudden movements.

“I have to go.” He muttered as he rushed out of their front door.

Andy watched him run from her and she rubbed her sore arms. She would be fine or course, but he had lost his head when he grabbed her the way he had. Standing up she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. 

She didn’t see Tom that night. Her and Harper spent the afternoon reading some books and playing with her blocks, her new favorite toy. After dinner Andy stayed awake until almost midnight but Tom never came home.

\---

Andy called out of work for the rest of the week and set about making some cereal for the baby in the other room. While she was waiting for her water to boil the front door quietly opened and closed, there was no other noise besides the squeal of recognition from Harper. With the baby engaged she finished fixing herself a cup of tea before walking into the living room to see Tom holding their daughter.

“You’re home.” 

He didn’t answer, just nodded at her. He hugged and kissed his baby until Harper got bored and cried out for something else to do. Eventually he set her down in her play place so he could face Andy without a distraction. He walked slowly over to her and carefully took ahold of her wrists so he could check her arms for any marks. He winced when he saw small circles along the undersides of her arms.

“I hurt you.” He said in a broken voice.

“I’m fine.”

“I left marks on you.” He continued without emotion. “I’m not the man I wanted to be, for you or for Harper. I’m going to go back to London. You should raise her, I can’t be trusted to be a good father. I don’t want to disappoint her as I was.”

He moved to walk into his room to, where she assumed, he would pack his things. 

“Stop this right now.” Andy told him in a firm tone.

Tom stopped but didn’t turn to face her.

“You will stay here and raise this child with me. It became difficult, too bad. You wanted to be here with me and you will stay with me. You’re a grown man, do what it takes to be a good father.” She balled her hands into fists at her sides as Tom turned to look at her. “You made a mistake, deal with it.”

“I hurt you.” He repeated as a type of plea.

“You didn’t, you never would. Don’t you dare abandon us!” Andy shouted and then looked over at the curious baby so she gestured for Tom to follow her into the study.

“Andy you don’t want me! You’ve made that perfectly clear, why do you want me to stay?” Tom asked angrily once the door was pulled to almost closing. 

“You missed a fucking birthday. She’s going to have many more in the future.”

“I chose to stay at work even though I knew I probably wouldn’t make it back.”

“Then don’t do it again!” Andy screamed back at him.

The two of them stood face to face and they wondered where they could possibly go to from there.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a bit of a segue to show how Andy and Tom move forward to staying together and fixing their problems. I skipped ahead because there's always going to be small problems but I want to show the end result.

Tom and Andy stood in the middle of the study facing each other and breathing deeply. 

“Tom.” Andy said in a calm voice once she had taken a deep breath. “You have had a year to adjust your career around your family. It’s time for you to make those changes.”

“What if I make a mistake again?” He asked with his face down.

“I know you will, and I know I definitely will. That’s parenting.” She walked slowly to stand a bit closer to him, “I’ve made mistakes with you and you have towards me. But I love you, and I love our baby. Will you stay and help me?” She was barely able to whisper the last sentence.

“I don’t want to leave you and Harper.” He said quietly once he raised his eyes to meet hers.

“Then don’t.” 

Andy reached out her hand and Tom pulled it between both of his. They stood looking at each other for a moment before he pulled her up to him so they could wrap their arms tightly around each other. 

\---

That evening Tom was playing with Harper while Andy went out to fetch some dinner. He had argued about letting him go get it but she was stubborn and eventually got her way. When the door open he saw her come in with arms loaded with several bags. He jumped up to take them from her but she shooed him back with her free hand and a smile.

They ate their dinner and together they put Harper to bed. Once she was asleep Andy took Tom’s hand and led him into their study. Sitting on the desk were the rest of the bags she had brought home with her. She pushed him to sit in the chair behind the desk and started pulling things out of the bags. 

“I found a family calendar.” She told him, gesturing to a package in the center of the desk. “It’s in Spanish but I think we can make it work. I was thinking that if you put down your dates and locations, we could also add any important dates for Harper - like doctor appointments, milestones, anything like that. I could also add any important information I have about my job.”

While she talked she pulled out her diary, several colored pens and highlighters. When Tom still hadn’t said anything she turned to look at him with her lower lip between her teeth.

“We don’t have to do this, of course. I was just thinking that maybe-” Before she could continue Tom had pulled her down into his lap and had her wrapped tightly in his arms.

Suddenly he jumped up and pushed her to sit in the chair he had just left, without a word he hurried out of the room. Just as Andy was about to get up and go find him, he came back in with his satchel. He pulled out his own diary and together they set about writing out their family’s dates and appointments.

It wasn’t going to be easy, not by a long shot, but they were going to do everything in their power to stay together.

\---

Christmas time found Andy at Harper’s grandmother’s house. Diana was torn between baking and cooing over her little grandbaby who was currently trying to pull every ornament off their tree. Andy and Emma were in the dinning room trying to wrap presents without the curious toddler seeing what she was getting the next morning.

“I just don’t understand why you couldn’t always do your job from home.” Emma said yet again.

“They have to wait for a senior level employee, so they know that they can trust that the person to complete the work truthfully.” Andy said with a shrug as she tried to straighten the corner of the wrapping paper.

“You are terrible at this.”

“I know, alright. Leave me alone.” Andy said in frustration and piece after piece of tape onto the edge of paper.

They finished the small pile they felt comfortable enough to hide from Harper and Andy stood up and pulled her arms above her heads so she could stretch her sore muscles. When she stood up straight she turned her head back and forth to try and relieve the pressure in her neck; but before she could roll her shoulders a pair of strong hands wrapped around her throat and shoulder to knead her tendons. 

“Hello my darlings, how did it go?” Tom said with a smile at the two of them.

“We just have the larger things to bring out, it should be fine.” Emma said as she walked out to find her mother.

“Hand’s around my neck shouldn’t be so sexy, but oh God please don’t stop that.” Andy moaned out as she let her head fall back onto his chest.

“Mmmm….” He moaned into her ear, “I do love hearing you say that. Say it again, say faster and harder.”

“Tom.” Andy said with a giggle and pulled away from him. “We are at your Mother’s house.”

“But I haven’t had you in days.” He groaned out while trying to pull her up against him.

“No!” She cried but then lowered her voice, “no.” She whispered.

“Well then, I have to run and take care of something.”

“Tom, she won’t even be awake then. Don’t you think you’re overdoing it a bit?”

“I’m sure we can plan a midnight nappy change, can’t we darling?” Tom asked with a long wink.

Andy rolled her eyes at him and walked to the other room so she could take her monster from Diana.

\---

At two in the morning, of Christmas morning, Andy cuddled Harper to her chest as they made their way to the kitchen as quietly as possible. When they came down the stairs there was a man in red clothes kneeling under their tree and Harper cried out at the surprise.

“Shhh…” Andy pulled them almost out of sight of the room. “You can’t see Father Christmas or he won’t leave you any presents.”

Harper giggled loudly but she had her hands over her mouth so she thought she was being quiet. 

“Let’s hurry and head back up so he doesn’t see us.” Andy whispered loudly as they walked back up the stairs. She settled her baby in a fresh nappy and watched her slip back to sleep. When she walked back to her room the man in the red outfit was pulling the jacket from his arms. “You look absolutely ridiculous.”

“I look like Jack Skellington as Santa Claus, I couldn’t find anymore padding.” Tom said with a laugh as he showed her his pants waist band that could be pulled six inches away from his stomach.

“Happy Christmas.” Andy whispered as she walked up close to him.

“Happy Christmas Darling.” He said with his arms pulling her close to him so he could kiss her.

\--- 

Christmas morning Andy and Tom were woken by Harper crying out for them to come and retrieve her. Tom pulled her up into his arms so they could go downstairs.

“Sorry princess, we need to wait for Mim and Auntie Em to come down. Then we can see what Father Christmas brought us.” Tom moved into the kitchen and got some food ready for her breakfast.

Andy made tea for everyone while Tom fed an overly excited girl her breakfast. By the time Diana and Emma came down the stairs Harper was screaming in excitement. 

“I hope you’re good with tea, I don’t think this girl can wait anymore.” 

The women looked at the baby in question and laughed. 

“Well then we should go into the living room.” Diana said with a smile on her face.

Andy placed present after present in front of her baby so she and Tom could unwrap the gift. Harper seemed more excited by the wrapping paper than she was with the present themselves. Diana loved the beautiful coat that had been made for her and Emma went crazy over the trip to Sweden they had set up.

When Harper was laying on the floor in a pile of torn paper and a smile on her sleepy face; Andy pulled a present out for Tom. He opened the box to find a beautiful silver pocket watch, and when he opened the lid he read the engraving: 'To Tom, all my love, Andy.'

"It's perfect my love. Thank you." He told her with a grin and pulled her to him so he could kiss her. Then he pulled a small rectangle box from under the tree and pushed it into her hands. “Open it my love.”

Andy unwrapped a long velvet box and then cracked open the lid. She pulled a silver necklace with a flat heart shaped charm on the end of the chain. When she held the necklace up closer to her face so she could look at the engraving on the back; it was Harper’s birthday.

“Oh Tom.” Andy tried to keep the tears from her eyes but she completely failed. “Thank you.”

Emma pulled Harper up into her arms as she watched Andy crawl to Tom and fold herself up into his lap. She pushed kiss after kiss against his jaw and cheeks, she finally pushed her lips strongly against his own lips. When it didn’t look as though they would be separating anytime soon Emma and Diana left the room to settle into the kitchen.

“Oh Tom,” Andy said again once she pulled away. “I love you so much.”

“Never as much as I love you.” Tom told her with his lips brushing her with each word.

\---

Late that night Emma and Diana had gone to bed, leaving Tom and Andy to lock up for the night. Tom finished checking the doors and then walked back to the sitting room to find Andy laying on the couch watching their little girl. Harper was wrapped around one of her new stuffed animals, yet another giant toy from Michael, and sleeping in the middle of a pile of papers she had torn to shreds. Tom walked carefully over to his woman and lifted her up to sit on his lap. They watched the twinkling fairy lights on the trees and their daughter snoring gently on the floor.

Andy looked up at Tom with a shy smile on her lips, “can we have another one?”

“Another baby?” Tom whispered back, a bit shocked. “I thought you didn’t know if you wanted anymore?”

“I want another baby with the man I love.” 

Tom didn’t say anything, only leaned down and kissed her roughly. When he pulled back he ran his fingers through her hair and smiled down at her.

“We could start trying around Harper’s birthday? Give them a few years apart, we already know we’re a good match.” Andy said while she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt.

“I think that is a marvelous idea.” He kissed her again and then gently moved her to the sofa so he could retrieve the sleepy baby and bring her back up to her room. He gathered Harper up into his arms and looked down at the woman grinning up at him. “That will give us plenty of time to practice getting pregnant.”

“Looking forward to it.” Andy said as she tucked her hands into his back pockets and she and her little family walked up the stairs to sleep away the rest of their Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I can keep away from these characters. I'm thinking about adding a few snap shots of how they are in the future.


End file.
